GERSTENBERG, HEINRICH WILHELM VON (1737-1823), German poet and critic, was born at Tondern, Schleswig, on Jan. 3, 7. After studying law at Jena he entered the Danish military service and took part in the Russian cam paign of 1762. He spent the next 12 years in Copenhagen, where he was intimate with Klopstock. From 1775 to 1783 he repre sented Denmark's interests as "Danish Resident" at Lubeck, and in 1786 received a judicial appointment at Altona, where he died on Nov. 1, 18 23. His Ariadne auf Naxos (1767) is the best cantata of the 18th century ; he translated Beaumont and Fletch er's Maid's Tragedy (1767), and himself wrote a gruesome but powerful tragedy, Ugolino (1768). His chief service to the new literary movement was his Briefe caber Merkururdigkeiten der Lit eratur (1766-7o), in which the critical principles of the Sturm and Drang—and especially its enthusiasm for Shakespeare—were first definitely formulated.