author
Friedrich Bouterwek
1766–1828
A sharp-minded German critic and philosopher, he moved from early enthusiasm for Kant to a more independent voice in aesthetics and literary history. He is especially remembered for ambitious studies of European poetry and eloquence that helped shape later literary scholarship.
2 Audiobooks
History of Spanish and Portuguese Literature (Vol 1 of 2)
by Friedrich Bouterwek
History of Spanish and Portuguese Literature (Vol 2 of 2)
by Friedrich Bouterwek
About the author
Born in Oker near Goslar in 1766, Friedrich Bouterwek studied law at the University of Göttingen before turning toward philosophy and literature. Early in his career he was influenced by Immanuel Kant, and he published philosophical work in the 1790s before developing a more critical position of his own.
Bouterwek spent most of his professional life at Göttingen, where he became a professor of philosophy in 1802. Alongside his philosophical writing, he built a reputation as a critic and literary historian, with a strong interest in aesthetics and the traditions of modern European literature.
He is best known for his multi-volume histories of poetry and eloquence among modern nations, including important work on Spanish and broader European literature. He died in Göttingen in 1828, leaving behind a body of writing valued for its range, intellectual energy, and place in the history of literary criticism.