Johann Gottfried Schnabel
Encyclopedia
Johann Gottfried Schnabel (b. November 7, 1692 in Sandersdorf
near Bitterfeld
, Germany, d. ca. 1751-1758) was a German writer best known for his novel Insel Felsenburg. He published his works under the pen name
Gisander.
An orphan since 1694, Schnabel was raised by relatives. After an apprenticeship to a barber from 1706 to 1709, Schnabel worked as a Feldsher
, a military barber-surgeon, in the regiments of Wolfenbüttel
and Saxony
until 1717. In this capacity he took part in the War of the Spanish Succession
. In 1719, Schnabel settled as a master barber in Querfurt
. From 1724 he was court barber in the County of Stolberg-Wernigerode
, where he was promoted to valet de chambre
in 1729 and to court agent around 1737. The year 1750 shows the last record of Schnabel's life; his death date and place are unknown.
The Insel Felsenburg (literally: Rock Castle Island) was originally published in 1731 under the title
The title was only in 1828 shortened into Insel Felsenburg when republished in an abridged version by German romanticist Ludwig Tieck
.
The title summarizes the book. It is about a seaman who is shipwrecked on the coast of an island, where he marries and starts a family of 300. It combines themes of the then-popular genre of the robinsonade
with elements of a social utopia
.
The book was highly successful when it was published. German author Arno Schmidt
wrote in a review to a reissue of the book: "It is attested that around and after 1750 the library of a commoner consisted of at least two volumes: the Bible and the Insel Felsenburg." Due to the success of the original work, Schnabel published three sequels of decreasing quality.
Sandersdorf
Sandersdorf is a village and a former municipality in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 July 2009, it is part of the town Sandersdorf-Brehna. It is situated approx. 5 km west of Bitterfeld, and 27 km northeast of Halle .It is the birthplace of German author...
near Bitterfeld
Bitterfeld
Bitterfeld is a town in the district Anhalt-Bitterfeld, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 July 2007 it has been part of the town Bitterfeld-Wolfen. It is situated approx. 25 km south of Dessau, and 30 km northeast of Halle...
, Germany, d. ca. 1751-1758) was a German writer best known for his novel Insel Felsenburg. He published his works under the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Gisander.
An orphan since 1694, Schnabel was raised by relatives. After an apprenticeship to a barber from 1706 to 1709, Schnabel worked as a Feldsher
Feldsher
Feldsher is the name of a health care professional who provides various medical services in Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union, mainly in rural areas...
, a military barber-surgeon, in the regiments of Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, located on the Oker river about 13 kilometres south of Brunswick. It is the seat of the District of Wolfenbüttel and of the bishop of the Protestant Lutheran State Church of Brunswick...
and Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
until 1717. In this capacity he took part in the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
. In 1719, Schnabel settled as a master barber in Querfurt
Querfurt
Querfurt a town in Saalekreis district in the south of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, situated in a fertile area on the Querne, west from Merseburg, on a branch line from Oberroblingen. Pop. 12,935 .-History:...
. From 1724 he was court barber in the County of Stolberg-Wernigerode
Stolberg-Wernigerode
The Principality of Stolberg-Wernigerode was a county of the Holy Roman Empire located in the Harz region around Wernigerode, now part of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.-History:...
, where he was promoted to valet de chambre
Valet de chambre
Valet de chambre , or varlet de chambre, was a court appointment introduced in the late Middle Ages, common from the 14th century onwards. Royal Households had many persons appointed at any time...
in 1729 and to court agent around 1737. The year 1750 shows the last record of Schnabel's life; his death date and place are unknown.
Insel Felsenburg
- Wunderliche Fata einiger Seefahrer, absonderlich Alberti Julii, eines geborenen Sachsens, welcher in seinem 18den Jahre zu Schiffe gegangen, durch Schiff-Bruch selb 4te an eine grausame Klipe geworffen worden, nach deren Übersteigung das schönste Land entdeckt, sich daselbst mit seiner Gefährtin verheyrathet, aus solcher Ehe eine Familie mit mehr als 300 Seelen erzeuget, das Land vortrefflich angebauet, durch besondere Zufälle erstaunens-würdige Schätze gesammlet, seine in Teutschland ausgekundschafften Freunde glücklich gemacht, am Ende des 1728sten Jahres, als in seinem Hunderten Jahre, annoch frisch und gesund gelebt, und vermuthlich noch zu dato lebt, entworffen Von dessen Bruders-Sohnes-Sohnes-Sohne, Mons. Eberhard Julio, Curieusen Lesern aber zum vermuthlichen Gemüths-Vergnügen ausgefertiget, auch par Commission dem Drucke übergeben Von Gisandern.
The title was only in 1828 shortened into Insel Felsenburg when republished in an abridged version by German romanticist Ludwig Tieck
Ludwig Tieck
Johann Ludwig Tieck was a German poet, translator, editor, novelist, writer of Novellen, and critic, who was one of the founding fathers of the Romantic movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.-Early life:...
.
The title summarizes the book. It is about a seaman who is shipwrecked on the coast of an island, where he marries and starts a family of 300. It combines themes of the then-popular genre of the robinsonade
Robinsonade
Robinsonade is a literary genre that takes its name from the 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. The success of this novel spawned enough imitations that its name was used to define a genre, which is sometimes described simply as a "desert island story"...
with elements of a social utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
.
The book was highly successful when it was published. German author Arno Schmidt
Arno Schmidt
Arno Schmidt was a German author and translator.-Biography:Born in Hamburg, son of a police constable, Schmidt moved with his widowed mother to Lauban and attended the secondary school in Görlitz. He then worked as a clerk in a textile company in Greiffenberg...
wrote in a review to a reissue of the book: "It is attested that around and after 1750 the library of a commoner consisted of at least two volumes: the Bible and the Insel Felsenburg." Due to the success of the original work, Schnabel published three sequels of decreasing quality.
Works
- Wunderliche Fata einiger See-Fahrer... (Insel Felsenburg) (1731, sequels in 1732, 1736 and 1743)
- Lebens- Helden- und Todes-Geschicht des berühmtesten Feld-Herrn bißheriger Zeiten Eugenii Francisci, Printzen von Savoyen und Piemont... (1736)
- Der im Irr-Garten der Liebe herum taumelnde Cavalier... (1738, published anonymously)
- Der aus dem Mond gefallene und nachhero zur Sonne des Glücks gestiegene Printz... (1750)