German Literature: Biographies

The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Further reading

Anzengruber, Ludwig

The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre | 1996 | | Copyright

Anzengruber, Ludwig (1839–89), Austrian dramatist, the first to present realistic peasant life on the modern Austrian stage. Equally successful in tragedy and comedy, he employed a dialect-flavoured dialogue which lent authenticity without being as difficult to understand as the real dialect literature which came later. Der Pfarrer von Kirchfeld (1870) is a plea for the exercise of tolerance in religious matters. In Der Meineidbauer (1871), where an old farmer who cheats two orphans of their heritage assumes demonic stature, Anzengruber proved that peasant life can furnish matter for true tragedy. A comic battle for matrimonial supremacy is the theme of Die Kreuzlschreiber (1872), and Der Doppelselbstmord (1876) is a farcical village version of Romeo and Juliet which ends happily. Anzengruber's last important play was Das vierte Gebot (1877), in which he deserts the country for the town but remains uncompromisingly a realist.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Anzengruber, Ludwig." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Anzengruber, Ludwig." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-AnzengruberLudwig.html

PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Anzengruber, Ludwig." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-AnzengruberLudwig.html

Learn more about citation styles

Ludwig Anzengruber

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

Ludwig Anzengruber , 1839–89, Austrian writer. An actor and a clerk in the imperial police, Anzengruber had little success as a writer until the production (1870) of his anticlerical play Der Pfarrer von Kirchfeld [the parish priest of Kirchfeld]. It was the first of a series of folk plays and was followed by Der Meineidbauer (1871, tr. The Farmer Forsworn, 1913–15) and Die Kreuzelschreiber (1872, tr. The Crossmakers, 1958). Das vierte Gebot (1878, tr. The Fourth Commandment, 1912) is an early example of naturalism . Anzengruber also wrote short stories and two novels.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"Ludwig Anzengruber." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Ludwig Anzengruber." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Anzengru.html

"Ludwig Anzengruber." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Anzengru.html

Learn more about citation styles