Johann Jacob Bodmer
modernSwiss-German Literary Criticism / Early Aesthetics1698 – 1783
Johann Jacob Bodmer (1698-1783) was a Swiss author, critic, and literary theorist who championed imagination and the sublime in poetry against the rationalist strictures of Gottsched. Through his critical writings and translations, he helped introduce Milton and Shakespeare to German readers, influencing the development of German Romanticism and Sturm und Drang.
Notable Achievements
1
Translated Milton's Paradise Lost into German (1732), shaping German literary taste
2
Co-founded the journal Discourse der Mahlern with Breitinger, advancing aesthetic criticism
3
Defended the role of imagination and the marvelous in poetry against Gottsched's rationalism
4
Championed Shakespeare and English literature in the German-speaking world
5
Mentored writers including Klopstock, Wieland, and the young Goethe's generation