Franz Grillparzer, Libussa. Trauerspiel in fünf Aufzügen [Libussa. A Tragedy in Five Acts]

Dagmar C. G. Lorenz (University of Illinois at Chicago)

Ed. by Gerhard P. Knapp, University of Utah
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.4.2: German-language Writing and Culture: Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, 800-present.
Vol. editors: Gerhard P. Knapp (University of Utah), Jennifer Marston William (Purdue University), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jill E. Twark (East Carolina University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1872

Places

Austria (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play
Tragedy

Resources

Franz Grillparzer’s five-act tragedy Libussa (1872) expresses in the framework of Czech mythology and history ideas about gender, government, and culture. Throughout his career Grillparzer had been fascinated by the story of Libussa, the legendary ruler of prehistoric Bohemia, who abandoned her exulted place in the fairy world to marry a mortal. This material lent itself to one of Grillparzer’s central concerns - gender roles and women in leadership positions - and his interest in the various national cultures within the Hapsburg Empire. In 1840 the first act of Libussa was performed at the academy of the Vienna Court Theater (Hofburgtheater). It received only lukewarm applause and thus confirmed the author’s …

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1579 words

Citation: Lorenz, Dagmar C. G.. "Libussa. Trauerspiel in fünf Aufzügen". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 June 2006 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=14751, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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