Gustav Freytag

German playwright, novelist, and journalist. Born in Creuzburg in Silesia, he studied at the University of Breslau, where he later lectured. From 1848 to 1870, he was co-editor of the weekly magazine Der Border-Messenger in Leipzig. He rejected radicalism and, from a liberal standpoint, argued that the emerging middle class was the foundation for building a new nation, and won over many readers with his call for German unification through Prussia. From 1867 to 1870, he was a member of the National Liberal Party in the North German Parliament. He served as an attendant to the crown prince during the Prussian-French War. In 1886, he was appointed a Privy Councillor, but declined the title of nobility. As a literary figure, he began his career under the influence of "Young Germany," and his style was realistic. He wrote a comedy about the political and newspaper world, The Journalist (premiered in 1852), but later turned to novels, such as Debits and Credits (also known as The Story of Anton, 1855), which contrasted the rising citizens with the declining aristocracy, depicting early capitalist society. His novelization of his cultural history work Visions of Germany Past (1859-67), The Ancestors (1872-80), depicts the process of the formation of Germany from the 4th century to around 1848. His Art of Dramatic Writing (1863) is a typical 19th century drama theory that provides the justification for the five-act division of plays.

[Naosuke Sasaki]

"The Story of Anton, translated by Kobori Jinji (1943, Yukosha)" ▽ "Freitag's Drama Theory, translated by Sugawara Taro (1938, Shunyodo)" ▽ "The Art of Drama, translated by Shimamura Tamizo, volumes 1 and 2 (Iwanami Bunko)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ドイツの劇作家、小説家、ジャーナリスト。シュレージエンのクロイツブルク生まれ。ブレスラウ大学で学び、のちに同大学で講師を務めた。1848～70年、ライプツィヒで週刊誌『国境の使者』の共同編集者となり、急進主義を否定し、自由主義的な立場から新興中産階級が新たな国家建設の基盤であると主張、プロイセンによるドイツ統一を希求して多くの読者を得た。67～70年には北ドイツ議会で国民自由党の議員となった。プロイセン・フランス戦争には皇太子付きとして従軍。86年、枢密(すうみつ)顧問官に任ぜられたが、貴族の称号は辞退した。文学者としては「若きドイツ」の影響下に出発、作風は写実的である。政界・新聞界を描いた喜劇『ジャーナリスト』（初演1852）があるが、のちに小説に転じ『借り方と貸し方』（別名『アントン物語』1855）では台頭せる市民と斜陽貴族を対比、初期資本主義社会を描いた。文化史的労作『ドイツ過去の姿』（1859～67）を小説化した『先祖たち』（1872～80）は4世紀から1848年ころまでのドイツの生成過程を描いている。また『戯曲の技巧』（1863）は劇の五幕分割に根拠を与える典型的19世紀戯曲論である。

［佐々木直之輔］

『小堀甚二訳『アントン物語』（1943・有光社）』▽『菅原太郎訳『フライターク戯曲論』（1938・春陽堂）』▽『島村民蔵訳『戯曲の技巧』上下（岩波文庫）』

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