Johann Karl August Musäus facts for kids
Johann Karl August Musäus (born March 29, 1735 – died October 28, 1787) was a German writer. He was one of the first people to collect German folk stories. He is most famous for his book Volksmärchen der Deutschen (1782–1787). This book is a collection of German fairy tales that he retold in a funny, satirical way.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Johann Karl August Musäus was born in Jena, Germany, on March 29, 1735. He was the only son of Joseph Christoph Musäus, who was a judge. When Johann was eight years old, his father became a police officer in Eisenach. Young Musäus then went to live with his godfather and uncle, Dr. Johann Weißenborn, in Allstedt. His uncle took care of his education and treated him like his own son.
Musäus stayed with his uncle until he was 19. Even when his uncle moved back to Eisenach in 1744, Musäus continued to live with him, which meant he was in the same city as his parents again.
University Studies and Career Change
In 1754, Musäus started studying religion at the University of Jena. This was probably his godfather's choice, not his own. He did well in his studies and earned a Master's degree. After finishing university, he returned to Eisenach, hoping to become a pastor in the Church.
Even though he was a good speaker, Musäus wasn't very religious. He didn't get a job in the Church for several years. When he was finally offered a pastor job in the countryside, the local people didn't want him. They said he had "once been seen dancing." This ended his dream of a church career. At 25 years old, he decided to become a writer of satire, which is a type of writing that uses humor to make fun of people's mistakes or foolishness.
Writing Career
From 1760 to 1762, Musäus published his first book, Grandison der Zweite. He later rewrote it and called it Der deutsche Grandison (The German Grandison). This book made fun of a popular character named Sir Charles Grandison, who was admired by many people in Germany at the time.
In 1763, Musäus became a teacher for young noblemen at the court in Weimar. In 1769, he became a professor of old languages and history at a school in Weimar. He was a friendly person and well-liked in Weimar. He even acted in plays with famous writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Famous Fairy Tales
Musäus's most important work was Volksmärchen der Deutschen, which means German Folk Tales. He published this collection of German fairy tales between 1782 and 1787. He gathered these stories from the common people. However, he couldn't resist adding his own funny, satirical style to them. Because of this, his versions of the tales are not as simple as the original folk stories.
Lasting Impact
Musäus's Volksmärchen played a big part in bringing back interest in fairy tales. Fairy tales had become less popular, but the rise of romanticism (a movement that focused on emotion and imagination) helped them become popular again. This trend continued with other famous collectors of fairy tales, like the Brothers Grimm. Musäus's stories also had an important influence on the famous Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen.
His folk tales have been printed many times and translated into other languages. For example, some were translated into English as Popular Tales of the Germans in 1791.
Influence on Famous Stories
Musäus's stories inspired several well-known works:
- One of his tales, a "Legend of Rübezahl", is believed to have inspired the Headless Horseman in Washington Irving's famous American story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (1820).
- Another story, "Der geraubte Schleier" ("The Stolen Veil"), is about a Swan maiden. This tale was used by the composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky as the main idea for his famous ballet Swan Lake (1876).
- One of his folk tales, "Stumme Liebe" ("Silent Love"), was included in a collection of German ghost stories called Fantasmagoriana (1812). This book was read by famous writers like Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Mary Shelley in 1816. It inspired them to write their own ghost stories. Lord Byron wrote a short vampire story, and Mary Shelley went on to write Frankenstein.
Musäus's collected folk tales continue to be adapted even today. For example, the story of Libussa and Premysl was used in the 2009 film The Pagan Queen.
An asteroid discovered on April 6, 1989, was named 10749 Musäus in his honor.
Images for kids
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Musäus collecting folk stories, by C. E. Döpler
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