Nicodemus Frischlin: Band IV: Deutsche Dichtungen und Entwürfe

Frischlin's German poetry occupies a special position in his oeuvre. Frischlin wrote the majority of his texts in Latin, the humanistic language of education of his time; German, on the other hand, he regarded as a lower vernacular and felt that its use was primarily a concession to a supposedly uneducated audience. For Frischlin, this included not only the common people, but also the majority of the nobility. Against this background, it is no coincidence that 'Fraw Wendelgard' (1580), Frischlin's only German-language drama published during his lifetime and at the same time one of his best-known works in which he took up a historical material, was addressed to a courtly audience. In addition to 'Wendelgard', Frischlin also wrote drafts for three biblical comedies ('Hochzeit zu Kana', 'Joseph', 'Ruth'), which, based on earlier plans, were written during his imprisonment at Hohenurach Castle (1590), but remained unfinished and did not appear in print until several hundred years later. Frischlin's last vernacular work, 'Vom Leben/ Raisen/ Wanderschafften vnd zustaͤnd Des Grossen S. Christoffels' (1591), did not appear until after his death, and although his sole authorship of the text is not entirely certain, it is commonly regarded as Frischlin's work. As a rhymed satire on the ills of the world, 'S. Christoffel' is still an entertaining read today. In addition to the poetic writings in the narrower sense, the volume also contains the 'Kurtze Abfertigunge' (1589), a polemic directed against the Melanchthon follower Sebastian Gobler, in which Frischlin took sides with the theologian Polykarp Leyser, who was a friend of his. In striking contrast to Frischlin's own disdain for his vernacular productions, it was precisely these that contributed significantly to his rediscovery in the nineteenth century and established a renewed interest in his work. With the critical edition of the 'German Poems and Drafts' in the context of the IVth volume of the 'Complete Works', these are thus extended by a complex of writings that is of central importance both for the understanding of Frischlin's complete works and their reception.