zurück
  Sources and origins of the "Calendar Stories":
 

 

 

With regard to the history of the calendar stories, Hebel's role is certainly done justice when one examines the sources, or, as mentioned here on the website, the origins. Particularly noteworthy is his discreet restraint in publishing his short stories; he never pushed himself into the limelight, did not claim the stories as his own inventions, and had to be urged by Cotta and presumably Kölle to publish at least the pieces he had written up to that point in book form as “Schatzkästlein des rheinischen Hausfreundes” (Treasure Chest of a Rhineland Family Friend) in 1811.

Precisely because he made no secret of the fact that he drew on sources that interested him and suited his mentality for his pieces, these sources, insofar as they are known and can be ascertained, are gradually being added as additional information for some of the stories.

The “Vade Mecum für lustige Leute” (Vade Mecum for Funny People) by Berlin bookseller August Mylius was published in 10 volumes between 1764 and 1792 in Berlin. In a letter, Berlin publisher Friedrich Nicolai admits to being the author of the pseudonymous prefaces to the first six parts. According to this, Nicolai wrote texts for the Vade Mecum and, according to his own statement, also published some of it:
https://de.wikisource.org/wiki/Vade_Mecum_für_lustige_Leute.
It served as a source of ideas for around 25 (of a total of 308) stories.

 “Views from the Night Side of Natural Science” by Gotthilf Heinrich Schubert, published in Dresden, 1803:
https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10044376

“Les Numeros” by Charles de Peyssonel, published in Paris, 1784
https://books.google.de/books/about/Les_numeros.htm

Der aufrichtige und wohlerfahrene Schweizerbote (The Honest and Well-Experienced Swiss Messenger) by Heinrich Zschokke, published from 1798 to 1800 in Lucerne and from 1804 in Aarau:
https://de.wikisource.org/wiki/Der_aufrichtige
und_wohlerfahrene_Schweizer-Bote

“Freyburger Wochenblatt,” (Freyburg Weekly Newspaper) first published in 1784 and regularly since 1793 as the “Allgemeine Intelligenz- oder Wochenblatt für das Land Breisgau und die Ortenau” (1804–1807), became the “Großherzoglich-badische privilegierte Freyburger Zeitung” (1808–1810) to the ‘Freyburger Wochenblatt’ (1810–1820).
https://www.ub.uni-freiburg.de/recherche/digitale-bibliothek/
freiburger-historische-bestaende/freiburger-zeitung

“Wendunmuth,” a collection of jokes, anecdotes, and stories by Hans Wilhelm Kirchhof, in which he used oral traditions, stories from antiquity, Germany, and Italy, and for the first time also from France; it was published in 1565 by Rabe-Verlag, Frankfurt.
https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10737632?page=9

(Munich Digitization Center)
 

 

From the "Vade Mecum":
  Der kluge Richter - Band I, Nr. 47
Kindesdank und -undank - Bd. I, Nr. 65
Zwei Erzählungen/In einer andern Stadt... - Bd. I, Nr. 128
Das Advokaten-Testament- Bd. I, Nr. 145
Seinesgleichen - Bd. I, Nr. 181
Das Mittagessen im Hof - Bd. I, Nr. 188
Das wohlfeile Mittagessen - Bd. I, Nr. 193
Teure Eier - Bd. I, Nr. 222
Wie man in den Wald schreit, so schreit es heraus - Bd. III, Nr. 23
Wie man aus Barmherzigkeit rasiert wird - Bd. III, Nr. 28
Einer oder der andere - Bd. III, Nr. 42
Etwas aus der Türkei - Bd. III, Nr. 87
Gute Antwort (1809) - Bd. III, Nr. 241
Einfältiger Mensch in Mailand - Bd. IV, Nr. 85
Irrtum - Bd. IV, Nr. 148
Böser Markt - Bd. V, Nr. 25
Gutes Wort, böse Tat - Bd. VI, Nr. 11
Ein Wort gibt das andere - Bd. VI, Nr. 16
Nützliche Lehren Nr. 8 - Bd. VI, Nr. 100
Mittel gegen Zank und Schläge - Bd. VI, Nr. 117
Die leichteste Todesstrafe - Bd. VII, Nr. 48
Rettung vom Hochgericht - Bd. VIII, Nr. 149
Ist der Mensch ein wunderliches Geschöpf - Bd. VIII, Nr. 181
List gegen List - Bd. IX, Nr. 201

From the "Views from the Night Side of Natural Science”:
Unverhofftes Wiedersehen - S. 215/216 

From "Les Numeros:
Kannitverstan - S. 110 - 114 

From "The [...] Swiss Messenger":
Kaiser Napoleon und die Obstfrau in Brienne - 4. Jg.; 2. 10. 1807; S. 315
Der Kommandant und die [Badischen] Jäger in Hersfeld -
Nachläufer zum Schweizerbote Nr. 13, Abs. 3

From the "Freyburg Weekly Newspaper":
Schreckliche Unglücksfälle in der Schweiz - Nr. 20, Samstag, den 4. Februar 1809
Rettung einer Offiziersfrau -
Nr. 184, Samstag, den 18. November 1809
Lange Kriegsfuhr - Probeblatt, Mittwoch, den 19. 12. 1810
Schreckliche Mordtat - Nr. 10, Samstag, den 2. Februar 1811
Die Treue und ihr Dank - Nr. 49 und 50, Samstag, den 14. Dezember 1811
Franziska - Nr. 98, Samstag, den 5. Dezember 1812
Der böse Winter - Nr. 9, Samstag, den 30. Jänner 1813

From "Wendunmuth":
Der fremde Herr - Nr. 75
Der falsche Edelstein - Nr. 313

   

 

  Please note: To return to this page, please use the back arrow on your browser.
The “Zurück” (Back) button on the individual stories will take you to the main directory of calendar stories.
 


zurück