Karl Lebrecht Immermann Criticism
Karl Lebrecht Immermann (1796-1840) was a pivotal German novelist, playwright, and poet whose work bridges the transition from the Romantic era to the realism that characterized later nineteenth-century literature. Immermann's most acclaimed novel, Munchhausen (1839), epitomizes this transition. It juxtaposes comic fantasy against social realism, a duality that leads some critics to view it as two separate works, as discussed in Immermann's New Munchhausen. Born into a family of Prussian civil servants, Immermann's career was interrupted by the Napoleonic Wars, during which he served in the military and fought at Waterloo.
Immermann's major literary contributions include the novels Munchhausen and Die Epigonen (1836). Die Epigonen provides a critique of his generation, ensnared between the legacy of Romanticism and the upheaval of post-Napoleonic society, a theme further elaborated by The Dance of Life and Death in Heine and Immermann. The novel parodies aristocratic excess and reflects on the fractures within contemporary society, also examined by Michael Minden in Problems of Realism in Immermann's Die Epigonen. Similarly, Munchhausen critiques the irrelevance of the aristocracy through its titular character, who is a fantastical visionary disconnected from the practical world.
Critics have often debated Immermann's intentions, particularly regarding his relationship with Romanticism. Immermann's Muinchhausen and the Post-Romantic Predicament argues against the notion that he merely sought to parody Romanticism, suggesting deeper layers in his work. Furthermore, his connection to the Romantic tradition is explored through a fairy tale in Karl Immermann and the Romantic Fairy Tale: Between Two Literary Poles. Despite criticisms of his sometimes heavy-handed style, Immermann's novels are celebrated for their ambitious satire and memorable passages, ensuring his continued relevance in literary studies.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Essays
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Immermann's New Munchhausen
(summary)
In the following excerpt, the critic offers a general overview of Muinchhausen, arguing that the novel can be divided into two parts: comedy and social realism.
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Immermann's Muinchhausen and the Post-Romantic Predicament
(summary)
In the following essay, Jennings qualifies the common critical conception that Immermann intended to parody German Romanticism in Munchhausen.
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The Dance of Life and Death in Heine and Immermann
(summary)
In the following essay, Jennings provides a detailed comparison of parallel scenes in Immermann's Die Epigonen and Heine's Florentinische Nachte.
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Karl Immermann and the Romantic Fairy Tale: Between Two Literary Poles
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Holst uses a fairy tale retold in Muinchhausen to discuss Immermann's relation to German Romanticism.
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Problems of Realism in Immermann's Die Epigonen
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Minden analyzes some of the literary devices Immermann employed in Die Epigonen to depict German culture in the 1820s.
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Immermann's New Munchhausen
(summary)
- Further Reading