Christian Fürchtegott Gellert

GELLERT, Christian Fürchtegott. b. Hainichen, Saxony, 4 July 1715; d. Leipzig, 13 December 1796. The son of a Lutheran pastor, he was educated at the famous Electoral College at Meißen. From 1734 to 1743, interrupted by periods of earning his living as a tutor, he attended Leipzig University. After finishing his BA and MA (1744), he launched into an academic career and was appointed professor of philosophy in 1751. Beginning under the auspices of J.Chr. Gottsched and taking part in publications of young Leipzig poets, Gellert soon made a name for himself as the author of secular poetry (Fabeln und Erzählungen, Part 1, 1746, Part 2, 1748, and Lustspiele,1747). In his plays, he introduced...