Caroline Jacobshagen

Caroline Jacobshagen , (born November 29, 1812, presumably in Hanover , † after 1878, presumably in Hanover) was a German housemaid and author .

resume

Caroline Jacobshagen was probably born on November 29, 1812 in Hanover as the daughter of a cantor . She was the second of seven children. When she was 16 years old, her father died, so from then on she had to support herself. She left her hometown and worked as a housemaid or housekeeper in various places in northern Germany (including Hamburg and Lübeck ) until she was 62 . She did not return to her hometown until she retired at Easter 1875. The date of her death is not known, but it cannot have been before October 1879, since the preface to the 3rd edition of her autobiography is signed "October 1879".

Writing activity

Book cover: C. Jacobshagen light from above

At the age of 64 she wrote her autobiography Licht von Abben, which was shaped by a childlike belief . The book first appeared without the full author name, just with the abbreviation "CJ". In the book, the people are anonymized by invented names that match the character of the respective person. The author introduces herself as "Cornelia Jocundus". The ambiguous title indicates, on the one hand, the modest circumstances under which she lived, because when she was first employed, her attic only had "light from above" through a skylight; on the other hand, reading the Bible gave her "light from above" over and over again. for their life path. In writing the autobiography, she used her diary entries. The book gives detailed insights into the daily routine of a housemaid. It was reissued over and over again until the 1930s.

Her two novels Elsbeth and Maria and Am Abgrund hin were probably written after her autobiography, as they are not mentioned in it. They are not listed in the catalog of the German National Library and are very difficult to obtain.

The story Elsbeth and Maria is about the friendship between Elsbeth, a young girl who is more oriented towards this world and busy with amusement, and the industrious, pious Maria of the same age, who is inwardly focused on God. Elsbeth changes through difficult life experiences, so that she finally comes to the same inner attitude as Maria. The story comes to an end when Elsbeth first marries and then Maria. Formally, the story is divided into two parts, the first part, written in the narrative style, in which the two girls still live together as neighbors, and the second part, written as an exchange of letters , in which the girls live in different places. Interspersed in the second part are short reflections and narratives that Maria, as the “author”, encloses with her letters.

The story Am Abgrund hin describes the development of the young girl Anni, who moves from the country to the big city to work as a housemaid. There she is seduced by her friend into a frivolous way of life. Small lies and embezzlement slowly dull your conscience. After she lost her job, she started working in a factory. But it is only when she meets the friend of her childhood, to whom she had sworn allegiance, that there is an inner and outer conversion.

Works

Light from above , memoirs of an orphaned person early on, 12th edition, Verlag von Heinrich Feesche, Hanover 1892
Elsbeth and Maria , A story for young girls, 2nd revised edition, Verlag von Heinrich Feesche, Hanover 1884
At the abyss , a story from folk life, published by Heinrich Feesche, Hanover 1878

Web links

Light from above (complete text with annotations)

Remarks

↑ This first name can only be found in the catalog of the German National Library and is by no means proven.
↑ The autobiography says 1. Advent 1812, from which the date can be calculated with the help of the perpetual calendar .
↑ She wrote her autobiography in the place of her birth, and the forewords of the 2nd and 3rd editions of her autobiography are signed with “Hannover” as the location.
↑ The GND entry of the German National Library names 1895 as the year of death.
↑ So she had to z. For example, when she is first employed, she will help her mistress out of bed at 5:30 a.m. and put her to bed at 9 p.m. She had a seven-day week in which her free time was only allowed for attending church services and on Sunday afternoons.

personal data
SURNAME	Jacobshagen, Caroline
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Jacobshagen, Caroline (real name); Jocundus, Cornelia (pseudonym); Nelly (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German housemaid and author
DATE OF BIRTH	November 29, 1812
PLACE OF BIRTH	uncertain: Hanover
DATE OF DEATH	after 1878
Place of death	uncertain: Hanover

[1] This first name can only be found in the catalog of the German National Library and is by no means proven.

[2] The autobiography says 1. Advent 1812, from which the date can be calculated with the help of the perpetual calendar .

[3] She wrote her autobiography in the place of her birth, and the forewords of the 2nd and 3rd editions of her autobiography are signed with “Hannover” as the location.

[4] The GND entry of the German National Library names 1895 as the year of death.

[5] So she had to z. For example, when she is first employed, she will help her mistress out of bed at 5:30 a.m. and put her to bed at 9 p.m. She had a seven-day week in which her free time was only allowed for attending church services and on Sunday afternoons.