"Wretches, Speak Evil of Me": Goethe and Schiller's Xenions (1896 Edition)

3 days ago

Goethe and Schiller published the 'Xenions' in 1797 as a collection of literary insults targeting critics and enemies.
Inspired by Roman poet Martial, the work used distichs (alternating dactylic hexameter and pentameter) to ridicule figures like Christoph Friedrich Nicolai.
The Xenions included 675 distichs, mixing playful jabs with reflections on Romanticism, and sparked counter-Xenions from adversaries.
Despite the backlash, both poets shifted focus to serious artistic works in 1797 (the 'Balladenjahr'), though Goethe later parodied Nicolai in 'Faust'.

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