Friedrich Theodor Vischer
Friedrich Theodor Vischer was a notable German critic, author, and academic, born on June 30, 1807, in Ludwigsburg, Württemberg, Germany. Initially aspiring to be a painter, he shifted his focus to theology after the financial challenges following his father's death. Vischer attended the seminary in Blaubeuren and later studied at the University of Tübingen, where he eventually taught aesthetics and German literature. His academic work was heavily influenced by the philosopher G.W.F. Hegel, and he sought to establish a theoretical foundation for literary realism.
Throughout his career, Vischer made significant contributions to aesthetics, as evidenced by his prominent work, "Ästhetik: Oder, Wissenschaft des Schönen," published in six volumes between 1846 and 1857. He faced challenges in his career due to his liberal views, resulting in a suspension from Tübingen after a controversial inaugural address. Later teaching positions included appointments in Zurich and Stuttgart, before returning to Tübingen in 1866. Vischer is recognized as a transitional figure between Romanticism and naturalism, and his literary influence extends into discussions of irrationalism. He passed away on September 14, 1887, in Gmunden, Austria.
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Friedrich Theodor Vischer
- Born: June 30, 1807
- Birthplace: Ludwigsburg, Württemberg, Germany
- Died: September 14, 1887
- Place of death: Gmunden, Austria
Biography
Critic and author Friedrich Theodor Vischer was born on June 30, 1807, in Ludwigsburg, Württemberg, in what is now Germany. His father Christof Friedrich Benjamin Vischer, was a clergyman, and his mother was Christiane Regine (Staudlin) Vischer. Vischer had plans to be a painter, but after his father’s death in 1814, his family’s financial situation would not allow it. Thus he followed the path to become a Protestant clergyman because of its offer of a free education and the guarantee of career.
Vischer entered the seminary at Blaubeuren in 1821. In 1824, he moved to continue his theological studies at the University of Tübingen, where he would later teach aesthetics and German literature. He abandoned his theological education in 1831, after his beliefs. While a teacher at Tübingen, he began to develop his theories of aesthetics, in which he attempted to establish a theoretical foundation for literary realism; his work was based on the ideas on German philosopher G. W. F. Hegel.
In 1835, after proposing coursework in aesthetics and German literature, he was offered a professorship to teach in these areas. His lectures covered many areas, including Shakespeare, the philosophy of Hegel, medieval German literature, and the history of painting. In 1844, he became a professor at the university, but, because of the liberal views he candidly espoused in his inaugural address, he was suspended for two years. He was hired as a professor at Zurich in 1855 and later taught at Stuttgart, but he returned to Tübingen in 1866.
Vischer was a key figure in the development of irrationalism and fascism, according to György Lukács, a Hungarian Marxist literary historian. According to the Dictionary of Literary Biography, Vischer is now viewed as “a transitional figure between the philosophers Georg Friedrich Wilhelm Hegel and Nietzsche and between the contrasting literary movements of Romanticism and naturalism.”
Vischer’s best-known critical work is Ästhetik: Oder, Wissenschaft des Schönen (aesthetics, or fine arts), which was published in six volumes from 1846 to 1857. His two-volume essay collection Kritische Gänge (critical path) was published in 1844, and Altes und Neues (old and new) came out in 1881. He was also a gifted novelist; he wrote a light-hearted popular novel, Auch Einer, which was published in two volumes in 1879. Vischer died on September 14, 1887, in Gmunden, Austria.