and historical subjects
from Austrian history,[305] or treated from an Austrian point of view.
The romantic school, which through Tieck had satirized the drama of the
_bourgeoisie_ and its offshoots, was in its turn satirized by Count A.
von Platen-Hallermund's admirable imitations of Aristophanic
comedy.[306] Among the objects of his banter were the popular playwright
E. Raupach, and K. Immermann, a true poet, who is, however, less
generally remembered as a dramatist. F. Hebbel[307] is justly ranked
high among the foremost later dramatic poets of his country, few of whom
equal him in intensity. The eminent lyrical (especially ballad) poet L.
Uhland left behind him a large number of dramatic fragments, but little
or nothing really complete. Other names of literary mark are those of C.
D. Grabbe, J. Mosen, O. Ludwig[308] (1813-1865), a dramatist of great
power, and "F. Halm" (Baron von Munch-Bellinghausen) (1806-1871), and,
among writers of a more modern school, K. Gutzkow,[309] G.
Freytag,[310] and H. Laube.[311] L. Anzengruber, a writer of real genius
though restricted range, imparted a new significance to the Austrian
popular drama,[312] formerly so commonplace in the hands of F. Raimund
and J. Nestroy.

The German stage of the latter half of the 19th century.

During the long period of transition which may be said to have ended
with the establishment of the new German empire, the German stage in
some measure anticipated the developments which more spacious times were
to witness in the German drama. The traditions of the national theatre
contemporary with the great epoch of the national literature were kept
alive by a succession of eminent actors--such as the nephews of Ludwig
Devrient, himself an artist of the greatest originality, whose most
conspicuous success, though nature had fitted him for Shakespeare, was
achieved in Schiller's earliest play.[313] Among the younger generation
of Devrients the most striking personality was that of Emil; his elder
brother Karl August, husband of Wilhelmine Schruder-Devrient, the
brilliant star of the operatic stage, and their son Friedrich, were also
popular actors; yet another brother, Eduard, is more widely remembered
as the historian of the German stage. Partly by reason of the number and
variety of its centres of intellectual and artistic life, Germany was
long enabled both to cherish the few masterpieces of its own drama, and,
with the aid of a language well adapted f