When did Franz Grillparzer write Die Ahnfrau?
When did Franz Grillparzer write Die Ahnfrau?
In 1817 the first performance of Grillparzer’s tragedy Die Ahnfrau ( The Ancestress) evoked public interest. Previously he had written a play in blank verse, Blanka von Castilien ( Blanche of Castile ), that already embodied the principal idea of several later works—the contrast between a quiet, idyllic existence and a life of action.
What was the name of Franz Grillparzer’s mother?
Grillparzer was an unsuccessful lawyer whose fortunes were ruined by Napoleon’s invasion. His mother, Anna Franziska, was a nervous, highly-strung woman,[4]daughter of Christoph Sonnleithner, sister to Josephand Ignaz, aunt to Leopold.
When did Franz Grillparzer retire from government service?
His hopes for a higher position were never fulfilled, however, and he retired from government service in 1856. In 1817 the first performance of Grillparzer’s tragedy Die Ahnfrau ( The Ancestress) evoked public interest.
What kind of verse is Die Ahnfrau written in?
Die Ahnfrau, written in the trochaic Spanish verse form, has many of the outward features of the then-popular “fate tragedy” ( Schicksalsdrama ), but the characters are themselves ultimately responsible for their own destruction. A striking advance was the swiftly written tragedy Sappho (1818).
Where did Franz Grillparzer live most of his life?
Grillparzer’s father was a lawyer who died in debt in 1809; his markedly neurotic mother committed suicide 10 years later. Grillparzer studied law at the University of Vienna and spent much of his life in government service.
Which is Franz Grillparzer’s best prose work?
Apart from his critical studies on Spanish drama and a posthumous autobiography, Grillparzer’s finest prose work is Der arme Spielmann (1848), the story of a poor musician who cheerfully accepts life’s failures and dies through his efforts to help others.