When Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm set out to compose their anthology of Germanic folklore in the early 19th century, it is hard to imagine they expected their level of success, with their collection becoming one of the highest rated printed texts in literature, rivaling that of the Bible. While their work is read throughout the world, it began as a discussion on solely Germanic folklore. With this discussion, the Grimm brothers brought about a social unification, helping to establish the foundation of Germanic nationalism. When analyzing the Kinder- und Hausmärchen, one begins to identify this search for Germanic nationalism in the 19th century. Specifically, the Grimm’s fairy tales illustrates this development in two distinct themes: the complete obedience of authority, and the inherent suspicion/violence towards the ‘outsider’.
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To put it simply, there was not a sense of a collective German nation. Prior to the Brothers Grimm, Germany found itself heavily influenced by the French. In the late 18th century, France occupied German territories, and by 1794, found itself in possession of the western extent of contemporary Germany (Roberts 28). As a result, the idea of what it meant to be intrinsically German was vastly neglected, until the efforts of the Grimms’. The brothers’ reverent collection of Germanic folklore marked, arguably, the stirring of instituting a Germanic nationalism. We can see this search clearly expressed in the first publication of their Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Children’s and Household Tales)
To put it simply, there was not a sense of a collective German nation. Prior to the Brothers Grimm, Germany found itself heavily influenced by the French. In the late 18th century, France occupied German territories, and by 1794, found itself in possession of the western extent of contemporary Germany (Roberts 28). As a result, the idea of what it meant to be intrinsically German was vastly neglected, until the efforts of the Grimms’. The brothers’ reverent collection of Germanic folklore marked, arguably, the stirring of instituting a Germanic nationalism. We can see this search clearly expressed in the first publication of their Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Children’s and Household Tales)