ARNIM, ELISABETH (BETTINA) VON German authoress, sister of Klemens Brentano, and daughter of the Maximiliane Brentano, who had been one of the intimates of Goethe's youth, was born at Frankfort-on-Main on April 4, 17 85. From Goethe's mother Bettina had heard stories of the poet's childhood, and she was an ardent admirer of his works and had corresponded with him before she met him in Weimar in 1807. In that year she paid two visits to Weimar, and poured out her enthusiasm and devotion at Goethe's feet. He was de lighted with her gaiety and elfin charm, though her demonstra tions of affection often wearied him, and she bitterly complained of his coldness. In 1811 she married Ludwig Achim von Arnim, and in that year again visited Goethe. But a violent scene with Christiane, Goethe's wife, put an end to the long standing af fection between the poet and Bettina, and Goethe forbade her the house. In 1831 von Arnim died, and in 1835 Bettina pub lished Goethes Briefwechsel mit einem Kinde. For years it was regarded as purely fictitious, but the publication of G. von Loeper's Briefe Goethes an Sophie Laroche and Bettina Bren tano, nebst dichterischen Beilagen (1879) proved that the Brief wechsel was based on authentic material. But the whole is treated in a romantic and fantastic spirit. Possibly Bettina her self had so woven the real story into her dreams that she could no longer disentangle truth from fantasy. Equally fantastic is her correspondence Die Giinderode (1840), with her unhappy friend, the poet, Karoline von GUnderode (178o-18o6), who com mitted suicide, and that with her brother Klemens Brentano, under the title Klemens Brentanos Friujilingskranz (1844). She died at Berlin on Jan. 20, 1859. Part of a design by her for a colossal statue of Goethe, executed in marble by the sculptor Karl Steinhauser (1813-78), is in the museum at Weimar.
Her collected works (Samtliche Schriften) were published in Berlin in 1853. Goethes Briefwechsel mit einem Kinde was edited by H. Grimm (4th ed., 189o) . See also C. Alberti, B. von Arnim (Leipzig, 1885) ; Moritz Carriere, Bettina von Arnim (Breslau, 1887) ; Briefe von and an Joseph Joachim (1911; Eng. trans. 1914) ; and the litera ture cited under Ludwig von Arnim.