FULDA, fol'da, Ludwig, German dram atist: b. Frankfort, 15 July 1862, of Jewish ancestry. After finishing the schools of his native city, he attended several German uni versities, finally taking the degree Doctor of Philosophy, from the University of Heidelberg in 1883. He had devoted himself largely to German literature and presented a thesis on Christian Weise, a German dramatist of the 17th century. From 1884 to 1888 he lived in Munich where he came in touch with Paul Heyse to whom he is indebted for help in striv ing for grace of form and perfection of finish. Since 1888 he has lived in Berlin. Here he came under the influence of the naturalistic movement. This affected him only temporarily, however, as he was not of a serious turn of mind and soon he gave most of his time to satire and light comedy. In 1906 and in 1913 14 he made lecture tours in the United States. Upon returning home from his first trip he published a volume entitled 'Amerikanische which records in a rather easy superficial manner his impressions of America.
After beginning his literary career Fulda produced a succession of plays, most of which gained a fair degree of popularity upon the stage. He understands dramatic technique and his plays as a rule act well. They are bright,
witty and sparkling in dialogue, though they lack originality and arc not profound. They are amusing, but have no seriousness of purpose. It has been argued that his plays belong to the history of the theatre rather than to the history of literature. His dramas may be divided into three classes: Comedies, serious social plays and allegorical and symbolistic dramas. Ex amples under the first head are 'linter vier Augen' (1886), and 'Der Dummkopf' (1907) which is perhaps his best stage. play. Of his serious social plays (Das Verlorene Paradies' (1890), (Die Sklavin) (1891) and