The Nature of Realism in Grimmelshausen's «Simplicissimus» Cycle of Novels

This study of the «Simplicissimus» cycle of works seeks to demonstrate Grimmelshausen's modernity as an author and thinker. A new evaluation of Simplex and others as characters is undertaken; the author's use of time and space is examined, as are the credibility of action and the interweaving of real and fictional history; the values upheld in the works are re-assessed. The study shows a writer who, although at times intermittently realistic, is largely engaged in portraying contemporary life in a realistic fashion.