Johann Karl Wezel
Encyclopedia
Johann Karl Wezel also Johann Carl Wezel, was a German poet, novelist and philosopher of the Enlightenment
.
, Law
, Philosophy
and Philology
at the University of Leipzig
. Early philosophical Influences include John Locke
and Julien Offray de La Mettrie
. After positions as tutor at the courts of Bautzen
and Berlin
, Wezel lived as a freelance writer. A short stay in Vienna
did not result in him getting employed by the local national theater. He thus moved back to Leipzig
and, in 1793, to Sondershausen, which he did not leave again until his death in 1819.
Although his works were extremely successful when they were published, Wezel was almost forgotten when he died. His rediscovery in the second half of the 20th century is mainly due to German author Arno Schmidt
who published a radio essay about him in 1959.
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
.
Life
Born the son of domestic servants, Wezel studied TheologyTheology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and Philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
at the University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
. Early philosophical Influences include John Locke
John Locke
John Locke FRS , widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social...
and Julien Offray de La Mettrie
Julien Offray de La Mettrie
Julien Offray de La Mettrie was a French physician and philosopher, and one of the earliest of the French materialists of the Enlightenment...
. After positions as tutor at the courts of Bautzen
Bautzen
Bautzen is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and administrative centre of the eponymous district. It is located on the Spree River. As of 2008, its population is 41,161...
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Wezel lived as a freelance writer. A short stay in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
did not result in him getting employed by the local national theater. He thus moved back to Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
and, in 1793, to Sondershausen, which he did not leave again until his death in 1819.
Although his works were extremely successful when they were published, Wezel was almost forgotten when he died. His rediscovery in the second half of the 20th century is mainly due to 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...
who published a radio essay about him in 1959.
Works
- Filibert und Theodosia (1772)
- Lebensgeschichte Tobias Knauts, des Weisen, sonst der Stammler genannt: aus Familiennachrichten gesammelt (1773–1776)
- Der Graf von Wickham (1774)
- Epistel an die deutschen Dichter (1775)
- Belphegor oder die wahrscheinlichste Geschichte unter der Sonne (1776)
- Herrmann und Ulrike (1780)
- Appellation der Vokalen an das Publikum (1778)
- Die wilde Betty (1779)
- Zelmor und Ermide (1779)
- Tagebuch eines neuen Ehmanns (1779)
- Robinson Krusoe. Neu bearbeitet (1779)
- Ueber Sprache, Wißenschaften und Geschmack der Teutschen (1781)
- Meine Auferstehung (1782)
- Wilhelmine Arend oder die Gefahren der Empfindsamkeit (1782)
- Kakerlak, oder Geschichte eines Rosenkreuzers aus dem vorigen Jahrhunderte (1784)
- Versuch über die Kenntniß des Menschen (1784–1785)