Since its publication in three volumes between 1865-67, Adalbert Stifter's historical epic

has had a rough reception by critics and readers alike. It was not subjected to the bitter sarcasm of Friedrich Hebbel who had offered the crown of Poland to anyone who could honestly say he had read the entirety of Stifter's

(q.v.),

r [

, 1857, q.v.]; yet neither was it received with any acclaim by his readers. The text was largely ignored in its own time, and in the decades after the author's death it was included in the canon of forgotten or ignored works of German language literature. It is above all the style, peculiarly matter-of-fact and unemotional even for this master of seemingly flat yet often terrifying writing, that has perplexed its…

1452 words

Citation: Smith, Duncan. "Witiko. Eine Erzählung". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 September 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=15114, accessed 23 November 2024.]