Dryden's Relation to Germany 19 



is Postel, a representative writer of the highly picturesque and 

 bombastic poetry borrowed from the ItaHan, Marino, with its 

 French imported Alexandrines. Hence this direct personal criticism 

 of Hans Sachs and Postel is of greater significance than a mere per- 

 sonal lampoon, as it is a real criticism of existing literary defects ; 

 and like Dryden in Mac Flecknoe, Wernicke in Hans Sachs ex- 

 tended his criticism to other poets and their works. 



Before resorting to the satire, Wernicke had endeavored to re- 

 form the poetry of his country by frankly and directly pointing 

 out its insipidity, as is evident from the foreword of his works 

 (1704 Edition)^^ Although his ideals were in advance of the 

 times and were rejected by his contemporaries, his introduction 

 of the satire with the exaggerated personalities, paved the way for 

 the toleration and appreciation of sane, direct personal literary 

 criticism. 



a. Hunold's Connection ivith Hans Sachs 



The satire also brought literary cliques and encouraged literary 

 feuds, such as the one now in progress at Hamburg, and the later 

 Swiss-Gottsched and Lessing-Klotz controversies. In Hamburg 

 the feud between Wernicke and Postel had run its course, but the 

 influence of Mac Flecknoe continued indirectly through Hans 

 Sachs. The controversy was now taken up by Christian Fried- 

 rich Hunold (1680-1721), a debauched Hamburg opera writer. 

 Under the pretense of defending Hoffmannswaldau he entered 

 the field against Wernicke with a satirical comedy, Dem Tho- 

 richten Prietschmeister, oder Schivermenden Pocten, in einer lusti- 

 gen Comoede (Coblentz, 1704). 



In the preface Menantes (Hunold's assumed name) says that 

 he is entering the controversy, since Wernicke had " einen ge- 



38 " Man halt davor; und man hoffet es werde dem Verfasser von 

 keinem vernunfftigen Menschen iibel gedeutet werden, dass er seine 

 Meinung so f rey heraus saget." ..." Man ist gantzlich der Meinung, dass 

 was die Frantzosische Schreib-Art zu der heutigen Vollkommenheit ge- 

 bracht hat, meistenteils daher riihre; dass sobald nicht ein gutes Buch 

 an das Licht kommt, dass nicht demselben eine sogenannte Critique gleich 

 auf den Fuss nachfolgen solte, — Sintemahl dadurch ohne alle Ergerniiss 

 dem Leser den Verstand geoffnet, und der Verfasser in gebiihrenden 

 Schrancken gehalten wird." 



