Home » Reading & Literature » Fairytales » The Brothers Grimm

The Brothers Grimm

© Mary C. Legg

biography, writers, German Literature, Fairytales, Folklore, 19th Century Literature. Children's Literature, Grimm, romatic literature, German Literature, romanticism

The young Brothers Grimm were born in a world suppressed by Napoleonic politics. Jacob and Wilhelm were born in the mid 1780's in the small village of Hanau, about a day's journey from Frankfurt. Like other boys, they grew up, collecting the normal things that interest boys: bugs and butterflies. In 1791, the family relocated to Steinau where their father took the position of a district magistrate, living in a house that served as the local courthouse. The town was too small to support a city hall. In 1796, their father suddenly died, leaving their mother alone with six children without a flat, since the quarters they inhabited were attached to the official title. In spite of this terrible calamity, Dorothea was able to procure means for educating her two sons, Jacob and Wilhelm, through the aid of her sister-in-law. They were sent to the Lyzeum in Kassel where they shared the same bed and room during their studies. Letters survive from this period of their lives, reflecting the hardship and poverty the the young men endured. Happily, they received quick recognition and admiration from their professors and colleagues for their intellectual appetite, gaining a friend in Frederich Carl von Savigny, who taught law. He generously opened his heart, home and library to the young men.

The boys, interested in literature, collected German folklore avidly as a means of personal rebellion against the oppressive Napoleonic regime. In 1808, their mother died. Jacob became employed as a librarian under the local French authority. The collecting of German folklore became a distraction from the bitter daily realities of supporting his extended family and despised French domination. His brother, Wilhelm, was frequently ill, but socially active counterbalancing his reclusive nature. The two complemented each other in their abilities. Annotating their stories carefully, they collaborated on a scholarly work that was targeted for a critical literary audience, restless with German nationalism. They published the first collection in 1812 with the intention of presenting the oral tradition of Germany and establishing a national identity for folk literature.

More than 40 contributors are incorporated in what became the Children's and Household Tales in 1812. Dorethea Viehmann, a peasant lady, who sold produce in the Kassel market, supplied the brothers with tales and Marie Hassenpflug was another chief contributor. 35 stories of the original edition originated from "die Viehmnnin" of the total 86 stories compiled. Brother, Ludwig Grimm provided the original illustrations. The annotations and footnotes amassed used more space than the actual stories. This work became popularly known as, Grimm's Fairy Tales, although eventually there were seven different editions-some having variant readings of the same story. And although the intention of the original work was purely scholastic, the public interest forced revision so that eventually, the brothers targeted the children's audience.