28 PASTORAI> LITERATURE FROM OPITZ TO GESSXER. 



set to music, which had the effect of still further iucreasing the un- 

 real character of the play. 



The pastoral and allegorical elements also forced their way 

 into religious poetry. ^ Only when these elements entered the 

 popular lyrics did they acquire more life and naturalness. ^ The 

 tendency towards Marinism and affectation reached its highest 

 point in the works of Hoffmanswaldau (1617-1679) and Lohen- 

 stein (1635-1683), the leaders of the so-called Second Silesian 

 School. Literature had become more and more smothered with 

 allegory, conceits, and bombast, and in the search for fine phrases, 

 foreign words forced their way into the works of some authors to 

 an incredible degree. ^ Asa consequence, popular interest in lit- 

 erature almost died out. A revulsion had to come, and it took 

 the form especially of a return to the contemplation of nature. 

 This brings us to the second and greater wave of idyllic and pas- 

 toral works (see table 1), on the crest of which are Gessner's 

 idyls, the eulmmation of the pastoral literature in Germany. 



About the beginning of the eighteenth century there was a re- 

 volt against the bombast and unnaturalness of the so-called Sec- 

 ond Silesian School. We can trace the influence of 

 Reaction Against such a reaction in the few idyls written at this 

 Bombast. time; but especially did it arouse men to contem- 



plate and describe nature with a deeper apprecia- 

 tion of its beauty. The tendency to realism which lay dormant 

 in this movement was indeed suffocated by the influence of 



1 The extreme of thi.s tendency is perhaps represented in a worlc by Laur. v. 

 Schnifis. which went through many editions: Mirantiscbes Flotleia Oder Oeist- 

 liche Schafferey, in welcbem Chvistusunter dem Namen Dapbnis die in detn 

 Siindenschlaff vertieffte Seel Clorinda zii einem bessern Lebeii aufferwecket. 

 Constanz 16S2. Ci. Koberstein II 21S. 



~ See Die deutsche Renaissance Lyril^ by Waldberg; also Koberstein II 28. 



3 "Deiitsch kann jeder Bauer reden" said a learned man, BiedermanniDewt. 

 VolliS u. Kulttir Gesch. Book Y., p. 65, 66. — 



In a play composed to celebrate the peace ofWestphaliathefoUowingsentence 

 occurs: '"Ein Cavalier ist welcher ein gut courage hat, maitiniret sein etat und 

 reputation und gibt einen politen courtisanen ab."' — Of Birken's free use of 

 foreign words and phrases, see Eupborion 1897, Heft .3. article by Burckhardt. 



