Johann Karl August Musäus

Johann Karl August Musäus (born March 29, 1735, Jena, Saxony—died Oct. 28, 1787, Weimar) was a German satirist and writer of fairy tales, remembered for his graceful and delicately ironical versions of popular folktales.

Musäus studied theology at Jena but turned instead to literature. His first book, Grandison der Zweite, 3 vol. (1760–62), revised as Der deutsche Grandison (1781–82; “The German Grandison”), was a satire of Samuel Richardson’s hero Sir Charles Grandison, who had many sentimental admirers in Germany. In 1763 Musäus was made master of the court pages at Weimar and later (1770) became professor at the Weimar Gymnasium.

A second book, Physiognomische Reisen, 4 vol. (1778–79; “Physiognomical Travels”), a satire on Johann Lavater’s work linking physiognomy to character, had many enthusiasts in Europe. His Volksmärchen der Deutschen, 5 vol. (1782–86; “Fairy Tales of the Germans”), because written in a satirical vein, was not considered genuine folklore by some 19th-century critics, although these tales were republished throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and enjoyed great popularity.