rtue." Others say
"the heroes are almost absurd, and do not arouse enthusiasm." Heine
asserts that Fouque's laurel is genuine; Coleridge places him above
Walter Scott; Thomas Carlyle compares him to Southey, and describes
him as a man of genius, with little more than an ordinary share of
talent. Fouque was introduced to romanticism by Wilhelm von Schlegel,
and drew his first inspiration from Cervantes. Whatever his
shortcomings, it cannot be denied that he succeeded in catching the
spirit of chivalry. His knights may be unreal and quixotic, but he
delineates his characters with the irresistible touch of a poet, and
his work displays noble thoughts and depth of feeling.

Friedrich, Baron de la Motte Fouque, was descended from a French
family that had emigrated to Prussia, and his grandfather was a
general under Frederick the Great. Fouque was born at Brandenburg,
February 12th, 1777, and was a thorough German at heart. He received a
military education, and at the age of nineteen proved himself a brave
soldier in the campaign of the Rhine. He served under the Duke of
Weimar, and his friend, and comrade in arms was the wonderfully gifted
but unfortunate Heinrich von Kleist. He was obliged to resign on
account of ill health, and withdrawing to his estates he devoted
himself to literary pursuits. Once again, however, in the exciting
times of the war against Napoleon, his sword defended his country. He
enlisted as a volunteer, and was afterwards honorably retired with the
rank of major and decorated with the Order of St. John. One of his
patriotic poems, 'Frisch auf zum Froehlichen Jagen' (Come, rouse ye for
the merry hunt), with reference to the rising against Napoleon, is
still a popular song. In Halle, Fouque delivered lectures on history
and poetry which attracted much attention and admiration. In 1842 he
was called to Berlin by Frederick William IV., but his literary
efforts were at an end. He died in Berlin, January 23d, 1843.

At the beginning of this century, Fouque was one of the most
celebrated authors. At the present day, with a few brilliant
exceptions, all of his plays, romances, and poems have been relegated
to oblivion. There is one work, however, a gem in German literature,
that has won for its author an enduring place in the memory of
readers; and that is the charming and graceful narrative of 'Undine.'
It affords an example of the writer's best style of production; it
breathes the fresh fragrance of the wo