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Meta Klopstock

Margareta Klopstock or Meta Klopstock (German: [ˈklɔpʃtɔk]; 16 March 1728 – 28 November 1758) was a German writer. Her letters, particularly those to Samuel Richardson, and the story of her life were popular in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. She was married to the poet Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock.

Meta Klopstock
Born
Margareta Moller

(1728-03-16)March 16, 1728
DiedNovember 28, 1758(1758-11-28) (aged 30)[1]
Hamburg[1]
Occupationwriter
Known forletters

Life edit

Margareta Moller was born in 1728 into a wealthy merchant family in Hamburg.[2] She became interested in Klopstock through his poem The Messiah.[2] One of her friends had cut up the poem to use as curl papers, and Meta saw them on her friend's dressing table.[3] A mutual friend introduced Meta and Klopstock in 1751.[3][4] Klopstock wrote "I found her, in every sense of the word, so lovely, so amiable, so full of attractions".[2]

Meta was able to make her own decisions about marriage, as her father had left her enough money to be independent.[5] Her mother at first objected to her marrying Klopstock because of his lack of wealth, but was persuaded.[5] They married in 1754, when Meta was 26.[6] Her criticism of Klopstock's writing was valuable to him.[7] Klopstock addressed her as "Cidli" in his poems to her.[8]

During Meta Klopstock's first pregnancy in 1758 at the age of thirty, she considered that she might die during childbirth.[9] She had been present for her sister's difficult labour and the death of her baby.[5] Meta and her baby both died.[9][1] She was reported to have said on her deathbed "'how should I now feel, if I had not employed the whole nine months in preparing for my death!'".[7] Meta and the baby were buried at the Christianskirche (Ottensen) [de], in Ottensen, Altona.[2]

 
Graves of Meta, her husband and her husband's second wife

Klopstock continued to talk about Meta for the rest of his life, and wrote letters addressed to her spirit.[7][8]

Meta Klopstock's friendships were important to her; she wrote to Richardson "as happy as I am in love, so happy am I in friendship;- in my mother, two elder sisters and five other women".[2]

She spoke four languages, and knew Latin and Greek.[1][2][7]

Writing edit

Meta Klopstock's letters cover her relationships with friends and family and her developing love for Klopstock over their courtship and the four years of their marriage.[1] She is especially known for her correspondence with the novelist Samuel Richardson.[1] She also wrote an essay, a play, hymns and series of letters written as if from people who had died.[1][6] Her work has strong religious themes.[6] She was conflicted about whether women should write, or publish.[6]

Her letters were censored by family members after her death.[3] Her work was first translated and introduced to readers in English in 1808 by Elizabeth Smith.[2]

The academic Detlev Schumann, writing in 1960, said "Astonishing is the erotic frankness in these letters: sometimes amusing and sometimes perplexing."[3] He writes that "With a few words she can evoke the mood of a peaceful summer evening on the bank of the Elbe ... describe a crisp winter day in Lingby in a passage that reads like a prose sketch for her husband's later ode "Der Eislauf" ... or give a matter-of-fact account of her household in Copenhagen ... Parts of the correspondence are, for our taste, monotonously effusive [and have] repetitious sentimentality".[3]

The academic Lorely French has described her letters as "lively" and having "wit and openness".[5] French notes that her letters to her women friends and to her sister show "more personal fears and concerns, as well as interaction with her own social world, in general a more diverse gamut of human emotions".[5]

Legacy edit

Meta Klopstock's letters received praise in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but were then "forgotten and neglected until 1950".[10] In that year a collection of the Klopstocks' papers was acquired by the library of the University of Hamburg, and their correspondence published in 1956.[3] There was further interest in her work in the 1980s as part of feminist literary criticism.[10]

Meta Klopstock was described in Aunt Judy's Magazine in 1867 as someone "one might almost take ... as [a] type of the highest caste of national female character".[11]

The Ladies' Repository in 1848 described her letters to Richardson as "charming", and said that she had "an almost idolatrous love of her husband".[7]

Her death was discussed in detail in magazines in the nineteenth century.[7]

21st-century critics have discussed Meta Klopstock's uncertainty about having her letters published.[5]

She is seen as part of the Empfindsamkeit literary movement (Sentimentalism).[1]

The academic Lesley Sharpe has commented on the "power" that the Klopstocks' relationship had "for future generations ... the combination of romantic love and religious sentiment ... such was the resonance for the next generation of their relationship that she became almost a mythical figure".[4] The academic Ruth P Dawson describes her as "a model of the modest woman, one who might write, and write well, but not publish".[6]

Works edit

  • Der Tod Abels (1757)
  • Briefe von Verstorbenen an Lebendige (1757)
  • Hinterlaßne Schriften Hinterlassene Werke von Margareta Klopstock (1759)
  • Ein Brief über die Moden (1816)
  • Meta Klopstock geborene Moller: Briefwechsel mit Klopstock, ihren Verwandten und Freunden (1956)
    • Volume 1: 1751–1754
    • Volume 2: 1754–1758
    • Volume 3: Erläuterungen

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wilson, K.M. (1991). An Encyclopedia of Continental Women Writers. An Encyclopedia of Continental Women Writers. Garland Pub. p. 641. ISBN 978-0-8240-8547-6. Retrieved 3 Mar 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Jameson, Anna (1829). The loves of the poets. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Schumann, Detlev W (1960). "Reviewed Work(s): Meta Klopstock, geborene Moller: Briefwechsel mit Klopstock, ihren Verwandten und Freunden by Hermann Tiemann". The Journal of English and Germanic Philology. 59 (1): 106–111. JSTOR 27707417. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  4. ^ a b Sharpe, Lesley (2000). "The Enlightenment". In Catling, Jo (ed.). A History of Women's Writing in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-65628-3. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f French, L. (1996). German Women as Letter Writers, 1750-1850. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. ISBN 978-0-8386-3664-0. Retrieved 3 Mar 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e Dawson, R.P. (2002). The Contested Quill: Literature by Women in Germany, 1770-1800. University of Delaware Press. p. 89. ISBN 978-0-87413-762-0. Retrieved 3 Mar 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Stevens, A (1848). "Meta Klopstock". The Ladies' Repository. 8. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  8. ^ a b Klopstock, F.G.; Klopstock, M.; Mumssen, J.; Smith, E. (1809). Memoirs of Frederick and Margaret Klopstock. Fragments in prose and verse, by Elizabeth Smith. R. Cruttwell. Retrieved 3 Mar 2023.
  9. ^ a b Dawson, Ruth P (1995). "The Search for Women's Experience of Pregnancy and Birth: Eighteenth Century Accounts". In Faull, Katherine M (ed.). Anthropology and the German Enlightenment: Perspectives on Humanity. Bucknell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8387-5305-7. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  10. ^ a b Schade, R.E. (1990). Lessing Yearbook XXI. Lessing Yearbook. Wayne State University Press. p. 251. ISBN 978-0-8143-2251-2. Retrieved 1 Mar 2023.
  11. ^ "July Memoranda". Aunt Judy's Magazine (3): 189. 1867. Retrieved 3 March 2023.

Further reading edit

External links edit


meta, klopstock, margareta, klopstock, german, ˈklɔpʃtɔk, march, 1728, november, 1758, german, writer, letters, particularly, those, samuel, richardson, story, life, were, popular, eighteenth, nineteenth, centuries, married, poet, friedrich, gottlieb, klopstoc. Margareta Klopstock or Meta Klopstock German ˈklɔpʃtɔk 16 March 1728 28 November 1758 was a German writer Her letters particularly those to Samuel Richardson and the story of her life were popular in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries She was married to the poet Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock Meta KlopstockBornMargareta Moller 1728 03 16 March 16 1728Hamburg 1 DiedNovember 28 1758 1758 11 28 aged 30 1 Hamburg 1 OccupationwriterKnown forletters Contents 1 Life 2 Writing 3 Legacy 4 Works 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksLife editMargareta Moller was born in 1728 into a wealthy merchant family in Hamburg 2 She became interested in Klopstock through his poem The Messiah 2 One of her friends had cut up the poem to use as curl papers and Meta saw them on her friend s dressing table 3 A mutual friend introduced Meta and Klopstock in 1751 3 4 Klopstock wrote I found her in every sense of the word so lovely so amiable so full of attractions 2 Meta was able to make her own decisions about marriage as her father had left her enough money to be independent 5 Her mother at first objected to her marrying Klopstock because of his lack of wealth but was persuaded 5 They married in 1754 when Meta was 26 6 Her criticism of Klopstock s writing was valuable to him 7 Klopstock addressed her as Cidli in his poems to her 8 During Meta Klopstock s first pregnancy in 1758 at the age of thirty she considered that she might die during childbirth 9 She had been present for her sister s difficult labour and the death of her baby 5 Meta and her baby both died 9 1 She was reported to have said on her deathbed how should I now feel if I had not employed the whole nine months in preparing for my death 7 Meta and the baby were buried at the Christianskirche Ottensen de in Ottensen Altona 2 nbsp Graves of Meta her husband and her husband s second wife Klopstock continued to talk about Meta for the rest of his life and wrote letters addressed to her spirit 7 8 Meta Klopstock s friendships were important to her she wrote to Richardson as happy as I am in love so happy am I in friendship in my mother two elder sisters and five other women 2 She spoke four languages and knew Latin and Greek 1 2 7 Writing editMeta Klopstock s letters cover her relationships with friends and family and her developing love for Klopstock over their courtship and the four years of their marriage 1 She is especially known for her correspondence with the novelist Samuel Richardson 1 She also wrote an essay a play hymns and series of letters written as if from people who had died 1 6 Her work has strong religious themes 6 She was conflicted about whether women should write or publish 6 Her letters were censored by family members after her death 3 Her work was first translated and introduced to readers in English in 1808 by Elizabeth Smith 2 The academic Detlev Schumann writing in 1960 said Astonishing is the erotic frankness in these letters sometimes amusing and sometimes perplexing 3 He writes that With a few words she can evoke the mood of a peaceful summer evening on the bank of the Elbe describe a crisp winter day in Lingby in a passage that reads like a prose sketch for her husband s later ode Der Eislauf or give a matter of fact account of her household in Copenhagen Parts of the correspondence are for our taste monotonously effusive and have repetitious sentimentality 3 The academic Lorely French has described her letters as lively and having wit and openness 5 French notes that her letters to her women friends and to her sister show more personal fears and concerns as well as interaction with her own social world in general a more diverse gamut of human emotions 5 Legacy editMeta Klopstock s letters received praise in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries but were then forgotten and neglected until 1950 10 In that year a collection of the Klopstocks papers was acquired by the library of the University of Hamburg and their correspondence published in 1956 3 There was further interest in her work in the 1980s as part of feminist literary criticism 10 Meta Klopstock was described in Aunt Judy s Magazine in 1867 as someone one might almost take as a type of the highest caste of national female character 11 The Ladies Repository in 1848 described her letters to Richardson as charming and said that she had an almost idolatrous love of her husband 7 Her death was discussed in detail in magazines in the nineteenth century 7 21st century critics have discussed Meta Klopstock s uncertainty about having her letters published 5 She is seen as part of the Empfindsamkeit literary movement Sentimentalism 1 The academic Lesley Sharpe has commented on the power that the Klopstocks relationship had for future generations the combination of romantic love and religious sentiment such was the resonance for the next generation of their relationship that she became almost a mythical figure 4 The academic Ruth P Dawson describes her as a model of the modest woman one who might write and write well but not publish 6 Works editDer Tod Abels 1757 Briefe von Verstorbenen an Lebendige 1757 Hinterlassne Schriften Hinterlassene Werke von Margareta Klopstock 1759 Ein Brief uber die Moden 1816 Meta Klopstock geborene Moller Briefwechsel mit Klopstock ihren Verwandten und Freunden 1956 Volume 1 1751 1754 Volume 2 1754 1758 Volume 3 ErlauterungenReferences edit a b c d e f g h i Wilson K M 1991 An Encyclopedia of Continental Women Writers An Encyclopedia of Continental Women Writers Garland Pub p 641 ISBN 978 0 8240 8547 6 Retrieved 3 Mar 2023 a b c d e f g Jameson Anna 1829 The loves of the poets Retrieved 3 March 2023 a b c d e f Schumann Detlev W 1960 Reviewed Work s Meta Klopstock geborene Moller Briefwechsel mit Klopstock ihren Verwandten und Freunden by Hermann Tiemann The Journal of English and Germanic Philology 59 1 106 111 JSTOR 27707417 Retrieved 3 March 2023 a b Sharpe Lesley 2000 The Enlightenment In Catling Jo ed A History of Women s Writing in Germany Austria and Switzerland Cambridge University Press ISBN 978 0 521 65628 3 Retrieved 3 March 2023 a b c d e f French L 1996 German Women as Letter Writers 1750 1850 Fairleigh Dickinson University Press ISBN 978 0 8386 3664 0 Retrieved 3 Mar 2023 a b c d e Dawson R P 2002 The Contested Quill Literature by Women in Germany 1770 1800 University of Delaware Press p 89 ISBN 978 0 87413 762 0 Retrieved 3 Mar 2023 a b c d e f Stevens A 1848 Meta Klopstock The Ladies Repository 8 Retrieved 3 March 2023 a b Klopstock F G Klopstock M Mumssen J Smith E 1809 Memoirs of Frederick and Margaret Klopstock Fragments in prose and verse by Elizabeth Smith R Cruttwell Retrieved 3 Mar 2023 a b Dawson Ruth P 1995 The Search for Women s Experience of Pregnancy and Birth Eighteenth Century Accounts In Faull Katherine M ed Anthropology and the German Enlightenment Perspectives on Humanity Bucknell University Press ISBN 978 0 8387 5305 7 Retrieved 3 March 2023 a b Schade R E 1990 Lessing Yearbook XXI Lessing Yearbook Wayne State University Press p 251 ISBN 978 0 8143 2251 2 Retrieved 1 Mar 2023 July Memoranda Aunt Judy s Magazine 3 189 1867 Retrieved 3 March 2023 Further reading editThe Correspondence of Samuel Richardson ed Anna Laetitia Barbauld 1804 republished by Cambridge University Press in 2011External links editWorks by or about Meta Klopstock at Internet Archive Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Meta Klopstock amp oldid 1183668343, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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