The Brothers Grimm
We may not all be familiar with the title ‘Kinder – und Hausmarchen’, but you will be familiar with the Folk Tales within – Cinderella, Hansel & Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, the list goes on!
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were German academics who collected and published folklore and their first book was published in 1812.
In 1796, when the brothers were quite young, their father died. As a result they experienced great hardship growing up, but they worked hard at school and excelled in their studies.
When they left school the brothers went to the University of Marburg, one of the oldest universities in Germany and this is where they developed their interest in folklore.
After university Jacob found employment as court librarian to the King of Westphalia and he took on the responsibilities of providing for his younger brothers and sisters. Willhelm was to join him later. It was while working at the library that they published their first book of 86 Folk Tales.
When they were overlooked for the position of Chief Librarian, they decided to move to Gottingen and found employment at the university there, Jacob as a professor and Head Librarian and Willhelm as a professor. For the next seven years they continued to research, write and publish; Jacob published the well-received ‘German Mythology’ and Wilhelm edited and prepared the third edition of ‘Kinder - Und Hausmarchen’.
In 1840 they both lost their positions at the University of Gottingen as they refused to sign an oath to the King of Hanover. Once again they were in extreme financial difficulties and had to rely on the kindness of their friends. Their friends also petitioned Frederick William IV of Prussia on their behalf and the brothers were offered positions at the University of Berlin with, importantly, a stipend. In this period they worked on the German Dictionary, researching German legal traditions, medieval literature and editing new editions of ‘Kinder – und Hausmarchen’
Wilhelm died in 1859 and Jacob in 1863.
Wilhelm and Jacob collected folk tales from all walks of life, from country folk to the aristocracy. Kinder – und Hausmarchen was published 17 times between 1812 and 1864, seven large editions plus ten small editions which were intended for children. Interestingly, when the books were first published, they did not receive great reviews as they were not considered suitable for children. However, the brothers produced rewrites with modifications specifically to widen the appeal to children.
When copyright for the books lapsed they became of interest to other publishers and illustrators such as Arthur Rackham, Walter Crane and Edmund Dulac.
The Brothers Grimm collected folktales are still a staple of many childhoods.
Contributed by Theresa
(Published on 1st Nov 2024)
