MENZEL, WOLFGANG, an eminent German tuithor, was the son of a medical prac titioner, and was born at Waldenburg, in Silesia, June 21, 1798. Ile studied at Jena. and Bonn, was for two years schoolmaster at Aargau in Switzerland, and in 1824 returned to Germany. He first made himself known in the literary world by his Strecle verse (Heidelb. 1823), a volume replete with poetry and wit, and opening nil many novel and inoTnious views of art and literature. He then eng,aged with several coadjutors in a perioilical called Europaische Bldtter (Zan 1824-25), in which war was waged against the prevalent heartlessness and formality of German literature, in which he was led to, attack vehemently the school of Goethe. This involved him, however, in a controversy. with the extreme admirers of that poet. He was afterward engaged in a succession of controversies, in consequence of opinions expressed by him in his various publications: among which may be nbticed his Geschichle der Deutschen (3 vols. Dir. 1824-25, and
several editions); Die deutsche Literatur (2 vols. Stuttg. 1828, and several editions); Taschentruch der neuesten Geedtichte (5 vols. Stuttg. 1829-33); Mythologische Forschungen :And Santnaungen (1842, etc.); and Geschichte Europas von 1789-1815 (1853). As a poet, he acquired a high reputation by a volume entitled Bilbao/a (1829?, and another entitled Narcissus (1830). His Gad nye der Vc7lker (1851) is a valuable lyrical collection. After the July revolution, he set himself to counteract the French influence that set in strongly among- the youth of Germany, whence Borne gave him the nickname of der PI•anzosen fresser (" the Frenchman-eater"). He also published Preussen und Oesterreich irn Jahre 1866, in 1866; Bont's Unrecht in 1871; a history of the war of 1870-71; etc. He died in 1873.