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1697 - 1827
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According to Rauter (1970), p.36,
this Society was established in Leipzig on the basis of society named the
Vertrauter Görlitzer Collegium Poeticum that had been founded
in 1697 by Johann Burkhard Mencke (1674-1732)
and some students of his at the
University in Leipzig, formerly students of the gymnasium at
Görlitz (hence the reference to Görlitz in the early names of
the Society).
Rauter (1970), p.36, also indicates that from
1717 to 1722 it was called the
Görlitzische Poetische Gesellschaft.
From 1722 to 1727 it was called
Teutschübende Poetische Gesellschaft, and then
Teutschübende Gesellschaft, to reflect an interest in prose as
well
(Rauter (1970), pp.36-37).
In 1724, Johann Christoph Gottsched (1700-1766)
joined the Society and became very
active (Rauter (1970), p.37).
According to Rauter (1970), p.41,
Gottsched was the person largely responsible for the re-organization of
the Society in 1727, when it became known as the
Deutsche Gesellschaft in Leipzig.
Rauter (1970), pp.45-46 indicates that the
statutes of the new Society made it clear that the Society wished to
emulate the Académie Française in cultivating the
indigenous language.
Rauter (1970), p.56 regards the volumes of
Der Deutschen Gesellschaft in Leipzig Eigene Schriften und
Uebersetzungen in gebundener und ungebunedner Schreibart
to be the main publications of the Society.
The first volume (1730) was re-issued in two later editions (1735 and
1742);
the second volume (1734) was re-issued in a second edition (1742);
the third volume was published in 1739.
Gottsched resigned from the Society in 1738
(Rauter (1970), p.80).
The Society carried on under the leadership of Johann Friedrich May
(Rauter (1970), p.66 & p.82).
In 1740, the Society published the first two issues of
Der Deutschen Gesellschaft in Leipzig Nachrichten und Anmerkungen
welche die Sprache, Beredsamkeit und Dichtkunst der Deutschen betreffen
;
Stück 3 appeared in 1743, and Stück 4 in 1744.
(Rauter (1970), p.82).
According to Rauter (1970), pp.96-97,
the Society ceased publishing in 1744 but continued to meet sporadically
until 1804, and then existed in name only until 1827.
And in 1827, the Deutsche Gesellschaft in Leipzig merged with the
Verein zur Erforschung vaterländischer Geschichte und
Alterthümer to become the
Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Erforschung vaterländischer Sprache und
Alterthümer
(Rauter (1970), p.97).
It should be noted, however, that a record in the
GBV
German Union cat. for the
Bericht an die Mitglieder of the new Society
indicates that the name of the Verein (at least for 1825 to 1826)
was, in fact,
Sächsischer Verein für Erforschung und Bewahrung
Vaterländischer Alterthümer zu Leipzig.
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