Fortunatus

The Fortunatus is next to " Till Eulenspiegel ," " Reynard the Fox " and the " Hug Schapler " of Elisabeth of Nassau -Saarbrücken one of the most popular books. It was published in 1509 in Augsburg in pressure.

Authorship

Probably the Augsburg-based author is unknown, the colophon of the Augsburg edition of 1509 only mentions a Johann Heybler as principal for the pressure:

Action

It tells the story of Fortunatus and his family, with three generations are mentioned. In the first section we learn Fortunatus in Cyprus know how he talks to his parents, with Theodorus and Graciana and his father opened to him that he has squandered the family fortune. For Fortunatus this is now reason to leave Cyprus, in order not to fall his parents a burden. Together with the Count of Flanders, he leaves the island and embarks on a world tour. He experiences many adventures and not just once gets caught in need.

Fortunatus act

Important in the first part of the book, which is entirely determined by the Fortunatus - action, is the awarding of luck coffers by Fortuna, the mistress of happiness, granted permanent wealth to him and the generation of their children. The purse has magic power: Whenever he reaches into the coffers of luck, he finds in cash in local currency. This lucky coffers he can now consist financially secure more and more adventure and travel the world with his entourage. The purse is the basis of his social advancement. In Cyprus he builds a palace and his family can marry Cassandra, the daughter of a count, which means the rise of the bourgeois family. With her he had two sons, the quiet and timid Ampedo and the reckless, risk-taking Andolosia.

Andolosia - action

The second part of the book is determined by the Andolosia - act plays and much more in Cyprus, Spain and London. This part of the book recounts the decline and demise of the Fortunatus family, the story ends with the physical annihilation of the family, as Andolosia is killed by robbers and Ampedo from Gram dies.

Social context

By emergence of cities with trade and merchants, the bourgeoisie became more and more wealth and therefore power in this period. At the same time a money economy developed ( double-entry bookkeeping, banking, etc.). The story with the rise of the bourgeois character Fortunatus therefore reflects the transition of the stratifikatorischen - (fitting into a social class by birth, ie clergy, nobility or peasantry ) to a functionally differentiated society (elected politics, free economy, modern science, modern legal system etc. ).

Fabric history

The Fortunatus fabric, a narrative in which a native of Cyprus hero receives an inexhaustible purse of the goddess of fortune and traveled in Europe, was picked up by many later authors, including Hans Sachs, Thomas Dekker, Ludwig Tieck, Ludwig Uhland, Adelbert von Chamisso and Friedrich Hebbel.

Expenditure

• Fortunatus. Study Editio Princeps of issue after the 1509th Edited by Hans -Gert Roloff. Bibliography of Jörg Jungmayr. Stuttgart: Philipp Reclam jun. 2004 ( RUB 7721 ).
• Fortunatus. In: Library of the early modern period. Volume 1: Novels of the 15th and 16th century. After the first prints with all woodcuts. Edited by Jan- Dirk Müller. Frankfurt: German Klassiker Verlag 1990.

The German chapbooks: Fortunati luck Eckel and Wunschhütlein, Jena: Eugen Diederichs 1912, 244 pages with woodcuts, first edition of this edition produced in this series by Richard Benz, pressure from the Offizin W. Drugulin in Leipzig

Secondary literature

• Walter Raitz: Fortunatus. Wilhelm Fink, Munich 1984, ISBN 3-7705-2096-3