PARTOliAL LITERATURE FROM OPITZ TO fiEBSXEU. 37 



preceding Gessner are Johann Chiistoph Kost's Schafererzahlun- 

 gen.^ Both in style and contents they show a 

 Writers of Idyls reaction against tlie conventional French taste of 

 Immediately Pre- Gottsched, and contain many anacreontic ele- 

 ceding Gessner. ments. He abandoned the idea of an innocent 

 Arcadian existence, and employs the form of the 

 idyl for presenting the grossest sensual descriptions, though writ- 

 ten in exceedingly light and pleasing style. Kost's lasciviousness 

 was imitated only by C. N. Naumann, whose work is merely 

 vulgar, as he lacked Kost's ability. 



As Gessner was closely associated with Hagedorn and the 

 "Hallenser" circle, they exerted great influence upon his style. 

 ?Iagedorn's Fabeln uud Erzahlungen (1738) gave models for the 

 epic treatment of bucolic material. From the "Hallenser" circle 

 (Gleim, Uz, Gotz, etc.) emanated a species of poetry which com- 

 bined anacreontic and pastoral elements.' The idyls of J. N. 

 Gotz* were added to his book of poems: Die Oden Anakreons 

 ID reimlosen Versen (1746). These idyls are written in rhymed 

 verse, and, like the works of all these anacreontic writers, are very 

 light and charming in style. From these authors Gessner ac- 

 quired much of his pleasing and graceful style, and the anacreon- 

 tic element also enters into his idyls. ^ 



In the idyls of Chr. Fr. Zernitz appears the tendency of again 

 turning to an innocent pastoral world. However, his work, 

 Versuch in moralischen und Schafergedichten, 1748, written in 

 strophic form, is wholly worthless. •= 



1 See Versuch von SchS,fergedichten und andern poetiscben Ausarbei- 

 tungen 1760 (name of author and publisher not given on title page). The 

 popularity of this work is attested by the fact that it went through eleven edi- 

 tions. Of similar nature is Rost's Die sclionste Nacbt, Berlin, 1763, one of the 

 most famous poems of German erotic literature, 



^ Sieben Hirtengedichte vom Schocb dem Jiingern aus Sachsen- 174:3.- 

 See Netoliczka, p. 19. 



^ Bee Analireontiker in Deut. Nat. Lit. 



* See Koberstein V. .56, and Netoliczka, p. 62. 



B See Scherer's Deut. Lit. Gescli. p. -430. 



G See Koberstein V. 56, and Netoliczka 57. 



