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What did Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm study at the University of Marburg?
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Brothers Grimm
Jacob (right) and Wilhelm Grimm, oil portrait by Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann, 1855; in the National-Galerie, Berlin.
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm studied law at the University of Marburg between 1802 and 1806, with the intention of entering the civil service.1
While at the university, they were significantly influenced by two key figures who shaped their future scholarly pursuits:
- Clemens Brentano: A Romantic writer who inspired in the brothers a deep interest in folk poetry.1
- Friedrich Karl von Savigny: A cofounder of the historical school of jurisprudence who taught them a method of antiquarian investigation. This methodology became the foundation for all of their later academic work.1