Johann Friedrich Jünger

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Johann Friedrich Jünger (born February 15, 1756 in Leipzig , † February 25, 1797 in Vienna ) was a German comedy poet.

Life

Jünger was a son of the businessman Johann Andreas Jünger and his wife Johanna Christiana Müller. A more distant relative was the writer Christian Felix Weisse .

After finishing school, a four-year commercial apprenticeship followed at the father's request. Jünger returned to Leipzig as a clerk , but confessed in a letter "... had learned absolutely nothing from what a mediocre businessman should know".

With the support of Weisse, Jünger began to study pedagogy, literature and law at the University of Leipzig . In 1780 Jünger was able to do his doctorate under the lawyer Prof. Christian Gottlob Richter . Jünger did not take the exams in the other subjects, broke off his studies and settled in Leipzig as a freelance writer.

Jünger worked for some time as a tutor in a princely household and during this time also began to translate works from English and French. He made the acquaintance of the publisher Georg Joachim Göschen , through whom he also met Friedrich von Schiller in 1785 . Jünger also spent the summer of 1785 in Gohlis together with Schiller, the writer Christian Gottfried Körner and the actor Johann Friedrich Reinecke . When Schiller went to Dresden in the autumn of the same year , this circle disintegrated again.

In 1787 Jünger went to Vienna with the intention of doing well at the Burgtheater . After several unsuccessful attempts, he was appointed court theater poet under director Johann Franz Brockmann . When the Burgtheater got into financial difficulties after a few years, Director Brockmann was replaced by a board of directors and, among other things, disciples were dismissed. In any case, under the new management of Peter von Braun from 1794, Jünger is no longer among the employees.

From this time on, Jünger lived in very poor conditions and did not publish anything more. In addition to his eye condition, he likely suffered from major depression . Ten days after his 41st birthday, Johann Friedrich Jünger died of a nerve fever .

reception

Although Jünger had little ingenuity and especially imitated Destouches , Molière and Marivaux in his comedies, the skill of the presentation and the naturalness of his dialogue must be recognized.

Works (selection)

  • De conditione nominis ferendi ultimis voluntatibus adscripta . Jacobaea, Leipzig 1780 (also dissertation, University of Leipzig)
  • Comedies . Leipzig 1785–90 (5 vols.)
  • Funny theater . Leipzig 1792–94 (3 vol.)
  • Theatrical estate . Regensburg 1803-1804 (2 vols.)

Translations

literature

Web links

Wikisource: Johann Friedrich Jünger  - Sources and full texts
Commons : Johann Friedrich Jünger  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Younger, Johann Friedrich
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German comedy poet
DATE OF BIRTH February 15, 1756
PLACE OF BIRTH Leipzig
DATE OF DEATH February 25, 1797
Place of death Vienna