SOURCE: Black, John. “Memoir of the Literary Life of August Wilhelm von Schlegel.” In A Course of Lectures on Dramatic Art and Literature, by August William Schlegel, translated by John Black, pp. 7-15. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1846.

In the following essay, Black surveys Schlegel's life and literary career.

Augustus William Von Schlegel … was, with his no-less distinguished brother, Frederick, the son of John Adolph Schlegel, a native of Saxony, and descended from a noble family. Holding a high appointment in the Lutheran church, Adolph Schlegel distinguished himself as a religious poet, and was the friend and associate of Rabener, Gellert, and Klopstock. Celebrated for his eloquence in the pulpit, and strictly diligent in the performance of his religious duties, he died in 1792, leaving an example to his children which no doubt had a happy influence on them.

Of these, the seventh, Augustus William, was born in Hanover, September...