Writers through the centuries - 18th Century authors part 1

episode 6

"Nine-tenths of the people were created so you would want to be with the other tenth."

Horace Walpole

"Love rules the court, the camp, the grove, and men below, and the saints above, for love is heaven, and heaven is love."

Sir Walter Scott

"It is nearly always the most improbable things that really come to pass."

ETA Hoffmann

"Love is like death, it must come to us all, but to each his own unique way and time, sometimes it will be avoided, but never can it be cheated, and never will it be forgotten."

Brothers Grimm

Horace Walpole (1717-1797)

Son of the British prime minister: Sir Robert Walpole, born in London, attended Bexley for the first part of his education, after which for further education, he attended: Eton College and in Cambridge, the King’s College.

At Cambridge, his views will be shaped significantly: on religious belief and Christianity, by the controversial Conyers Middleton, an unorthodox theologian.

He was never married and had many relationships with women that went unconsummated, although he liked the company of women’s, but more as friends and not as lovers. His nature was very feminine for the time, and he was widely regarded as an asexual person.

He was appointed Inspector of Imports & Exports in the Customs House office, from which he resigned to become usher of the Exchequer.

After that, he went from 1739 to 1741 into the “Grand Tour” (considered the traditional trip that was widely popular between 1660 till 1840 in which the higher nobility, a young man coming of age (around 21), went to explore classical antiquity brought back by the renaissance period. It was more of a cultural experience of studying and exchanging ideas and views through some of the West culturally known cities from France (Paris, Calais) and what is modern-day Italy (Venice, Rome, Florence).

Horace Walpole took part in his own “Grand Tour”, from Dover-Calais-Boulogne-Paris-Rheims-Lyon-Turin-Genoa-Parma-Bologna-Florence-Venice-Toulon-Marseiiles-Toulouse-Orleans.

Upon return in 1741, he was elected Member of Parliament in the Whig group. Still, it was the times when the power began to shift, culminating with the Jacobite rising starting in 1745.

In 1749 he funded the build of “Strawberry hill house” in a pure Gothic architectural style. This gothic villa had its own printing press, which was built to support Horace Walpole’s writing goals.

In 1764 not using his press, H. Walpole went on and published his novel: “The Castle of Otranto” anonymously. A story in which he wanted to establish further the Gothic style into literature.

He died in 1797, and because he did not have a child, the barony of Walpole went to his cousin.

Walter Scott (1771-1832)

The most prominent historical fiction writer was born in Edinburgh in 1771, a member of the Clan Scott and descendant of Clan Swinton. Because he suffered from Polio as a child, he was sent onto the Scottish border, where he was taught to read, by his aunt. From her, he heard a lot of the legends that shaped most of his future literary work.

In 1778 he started his private education, back in Edinburgh at the Royal High school, he was reading poems, historical books and chivalric romantic novels.

He was admitted in his first stage of education at the prestigious University of Edinburgh at only 12. He was a lot younger than all his colleagues but still had the wit and intelligence to be a match regardless.

He co-founded the literary society in 1789, becoming a librarian and secretary-treasurer for the Speculative community. He then went on to law school and was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1792.

He did not have that much luck in love. One such example is the fact that although involved in a romantic tryst with Williamina Belsches, she eventually married Walter Scott’s friend, Sir William Forbes. From 1797 till 1800, he enrolled in a military division, which prepared for a French invasion threat.

From the 1790’s he started to enjoy more and more reading literature and mostly German literature. Even to this day, his biography reveals that there was not a topic for which Walter Scott did not have a book in his library and that he, of course, had read all the books he owned.

In 1797 he got married to Charlotte Charpentier, from Lyon. From 1798 he started to host literary parties at a cottage in Lasswade. And he produced from 1805 till 1817 five lengthy poems, making him one of the most famous poets of his times. When he published: “The lady of the lake” in 1810, he sold over 20,000 copies in just the first year from publishing.

When he published his novel: “Rob Roy”, the first print ran out quite fast, and as such, all the subsequent editions were printed in a batch of 10,000 because the publishers were pretty confident about their success.

Walter Scott published 27 novels, his first one being: “Waverley”. After that, he mainly published anonymously. The books appeared under the name of: “By the author of Waverley”, and 26 out of his 27 novels are under historical fiction.

In 1820 he published one of his most famous novels: “Ivanhoe”, which had its background set in England, compared to his first few set in Scotland.

He became a member of the Clarence Club (founded in 1826 as a social exclusive society gentlemen’s club for facilitating the creators of arts, literature, philosophy, science, business and trade, once known as the Literary Union Club, dissolved eventually in 1834).

In 1825 a banking crisis struck England and Scotland that caused an outstanding debt on his printing press business. It accumulated an obligation of a bit over 130,000 £ (which would be over 10 million pounds in today’s money).

The king was one of his admirers, and he did have quite a few admirers that offered to assist him financially. Still, he refused and put his income and house to his creditors’ trust, thoroughly believed that he will be able to pay off his debt through his books and writing. In 1826 his wife passed away, but Walter Scott still wrote and published another six novels from 1826 till 1832 and multiple historical books that included very accurate facts from the recent history.

His health started a rapid decline in 1831 add although he went on board a frigate towards Malta and Naples to get a better health status, he still could not improve it enough, and he did die in September 1832, aged just 61. And although he still owed money, his books continued to sell, and finally, the debt was paid off soon after his death.

Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann (1776-1822)

Coming from a long line of law profession members that ran through his family (jurists, barristers), he was born in Kaliningrad. Kaliningrad belongs today to Russia (situated between Poland and Lithuania). It was part of Prussia at the time, under Konigsberg’s name (and it was one of Prussia’s capital, besides Berlin).

His parents separated in 1778. ETA Hoffmann’s eldest brother went with his father while remaining with his mother and two aunts who raised him along with his uncle. His uncle did dominate the household, being with a rigorous religious personality.

Ernest attended the Lutheran school, where he did very well in learning the classical subjects. He gained knowledge in the arts: learning to draw and play the piano. He did start to cultivate his desire for reading, enjoying authors like Johann Goethe (contemporary author), Jonathan Swift, and the German author’s romantic comedy stories: Jean-Paul.

He became friends with Theodor von Hippel the Younger (an influential Prussian statesman).

In 1796 he also visited Dresden and started to take a likening to the famous renaissance artists’, like Correggio and Raphael.

He then moved to Berlin, only to move once more to Poznan (Poland today), where he kept often moving from 1800 till 1803, and during this time, he married Mischa (or Maria), Michalina Rorer.

During this time, his uncles and aunts passed away, and in 1804 he moved to Warsaw, where he took very much fond of the Polish culture and society. His primary duties there was as a civil servant to assign surnames to the Jewish community living there. After 1806 events (Napoleon’s troops captured Warsaw), the Prussians officials were destitute from their positions. As such, in 1807, he returned to Berlin. Afterwards, even Berlin was occupied by Napoleon, and as such, Hoffman’s financial situation went from bad to worst.

Then in September 1808, he moved once more to Bamberg (Germany today) to occupy a position as a theatre manager, then as a music critique, actually writing articles of Beethoven (which he admired).

In 1809 he wrote the “Ritter Gluck”, a story about a person who meets Christoph Gluck doppelganger's composers (the term was just invented not long before, by Jean-Paul is used to refer to someone’s very similar look-a-like).

In this time frame, when he changed his official name, from E.T. Wilhelm to E.T. Amadeus Hoffmann, a change meant to bring a homage to the great Amadeus Mozart. Between 1813 and 1814, he moved from Dresden to Leipzig, caused by the turn of the war events, and he occupied a position with the orchestra. In September 1814, he returned once more to Berlin. Little is known of the cause of death, but E.T.A. Hoffman passed away in 1822.

Brothers Grimm: Jacob Grimm (1785-1863) / Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859)

Jacob Ludwig Grimm was both a philologist and a jurist with a passion for mythology. Jacob was born in Hanau and was sent to school in Kassel along with his younger brother: Wilhelm. Afterwards, he attended the University of Marburg (in 1802), joined by his brother a year later, where they started studying law.

Attending the university, he became inspired and guided towards love for history/mythology by his professor: Karl von Savigny.

After which, he was going on a trip to Paris, where Savigny invited him to assist in his literary work.

In 1808 he obtained a superintendent position at a private library of Jerome Bonaparte (youngest brother of Napoleon I). After Napoleon’s fall, he was appointed Secretary of Legation and once again went to Paris to demand back the books taken by the French. He attended then the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815). Wilhelm got a job as well at the Kassel library.

In 1812 the brothers published a fairy tale collection, known only as: “Grimm's fairy tales.” This contained 86 different stories. The stories were collected, studied and adapted by them, with many of their creative components into them.

Wilhelm was very fond of music (unlike his brother Jacob), and he had a natural gift for story-telling, which helped in the story / fairy-tale writing.

In 1829 they moved to the University of Gottingen, where Jacob got the position of professor of history of literature and historical grammar. At the same time, his brother Wilhelm got the role of under-librarian.

Because he was part of a group that protested against the King of Hanover, he was dismissed from his professorial position. They both moved from 1837 till 1840 back to Kassel. Afterwards, on King Frederick William IV’s invitation, they moved to Berlin, where both Jacob and Wilhelm received once more a professorial position and were made members of the Academy of science.

In 1835 they also published the first edition of their book: German Mythology.

Developed alongside his brother Wilhelm also published the German-language dictionary, started just before 1840 and published in 1854. Adjustments and additions to it have been made, and in 1971 was re-published in 33 volumes.

The “Grimm’s fairy tales” were republished several times. In 1857, it saw its seventh edition, and it now contained 210 (compared to 86 that the first edition did) different stories. Some of the stories had international influences: Russian, Norwegian.

The stories are so popular that we know them individually and not necessary as a collection. Stories like: “The frog king”, “Rapunzel”, “Cinderella”, “Little red riding hood”, “Bremen town musicians”, “Snow White and the seven dwarfs”, “Hansel and Gretel” are widely popular and read by children worldwide.

Jacob Grimm died in Berlin in 1863. Still, he worked till the very last years of his life.

Nihil sine Deo