(1777-1843)
[Illustration: FOUQUE]
The romantic school had many false and erratic tendencies, but it
produced some of the most fanciful and poetic creations of literature.
Fouque was called the Don Quixote of the Romanticists, and his early
romances of chivalry were devoured by the public as quickly as they
appeared. But his fame proved to be a passing fancy; and his later
works scarcely found a publisher. This was owing partly to a change in
public taste, and partly to his mannerisms. His descriptions often
deteriorate into tediousness, and the narrative is broken by
far-fetched digressions. He was so imbued with the spirit of chivalry
that he became one-sided, and his scenes were always laid in "the
chapel or the tilt-yard." Critics of his time speak of his mediaeval
romances as "full of sweet strength and lovely virtue." Others say
"the heroes are almost absurd, and do not arouse enthusiasm." Heine
asserts that Fouque's laurel is genuine; Coleridge places him above
Walter Scott; Thomas Carlyle compares him to Southey, and describes
him as a man of genius, with little more than an ordinary share of
talent. Fouque was introduced to romanticism by Wilhelm von Schlegel,
and drew his first inspiration from Cervantes. Whatever his
shortcomings, it cannot be denied that he succeeded in catching the
spirit of chivalry. His knights may be unreal and quixotic, but he
delineates his characters with the irresistible touch of a poet, and
his work displays noble thoughts and depth of feeling.
Friedrich, Baron de la Motte Fouque, was descended from a French
family that had emigrated to Prussia, and his grandfather was a
general under Frederick the Great. Fouque was born at Brandenburg,
February 12th, 1777, and was a thorough German at heart. He received a
military education, and at the age of nineteen proved himself a brave
soldier in the campaign of the Rhine. He served under the Duke of
Weimar, and his friend, and comrade in arms was the wonderfully gifted
but unfortunate Heinrich von Kleist. He was obliged to resign on
account of ill health, and withdrawing to his estates he devoted
himself to literary pursuits. Once again, however, in the exciting
times of the war against Napoleon, his sword defended his country. He
enlisted as a volunteer, and was afterwards honorably retired with the
rank of major and decorated with the Order of St. John. One of his
patriotic poems, 'Frisch auf zum Froehlichen Jagen' (Come, rouse ye for
the merry hunt), with reference to the rising against Napoleon, is
still a popular song. In Halle, Fouque delivered lectures on history
and poetry which attracted much attention and admiration. In 1842 he
was called to Berlin by Frederick William IV., but his literary
efforts were at an end. He died in Berlin, January 23d, 1843.
At the beginning of this century, Fouque was one of the most
celebrated authors. At the present day, with a few brilliant
exceptions, all of his plays, romances, and poems have been relegated
to oblivion. There is one work, however, a gem in German literature,
that has won for its author an enduring place in the memory of
readers; and that is the charming and graceful narrative of 'Undine.'
It affords an example of the writer's best style of production; it
breathes the fresh fragrance of the woods, and is animated by the
beautiful thought that peoples the sea and air with nymphs and
spirits. With exquisite tenderness Fouque portrays the beautiful
character of Undine. At first her nature reflects all the
capriciousness of the elements, then, gradually growing more human
through her love, her soul expands and she becomes an ideal of womanly
love, devotion, and unselfishness.
The real and unreal are so perfectly blended in this story, that the
suffering of Undine excites deep sympathy. Undine, the foster-daughter
of a good old fisherman and his wife, is a water nymph, and as such is
born without a soul. The knight Huldbrand von Ringstetten is sent by
Bertalda in quest of adventure, and riding through an enchanted forest
he reaches the fisherman's hut, where he is detained by a storm. He
falls in love with the laughing, wayward Undine, and marries her. At
once the bewitching maiden gives up her wild pranks, grows gentle, and
is devoted to the knight with all her heart; for through her marriage
to a human being she receives a soul. Her uncle Kuehleborn, a forest
brook, tries to entice her back to her native element the sea.
The bridal couple go to their castle, where Bertalda joins them, doing
much to disturb their happiness. Huldbrand, though he still loves his
beautiful wife, cannot at times suppress an instinctive shudder, and
he is attracted to Bertalda, whose nature is more akin to his own.
One day, while they are sailing on the Danube, Kuehleborn manages to
steal away a necklace with which Bertalda is playing in the water.
Undine richly compensates Bertalda for her loss by a much rarer gift,
but Huldbrand angrily upbraids her for continuing to hold intercourse
with her uncanny relatives. In tears she parts from him, and vanishes
in the waves. The knight marries Bertalda, but on the wedding-day,
Undine, deeply veiled, rises from the sea to claim her husband, and
with a kiss she takes away his life.