ABSTRACT
The late forties were unquiet and hungry years. Poor harvests made the price of grain and potatoes go up. Berlin, a growing metropolis, had its own problems. There were more and more demands for social justice. An incurable romantic, Frederick William firmly believed in the Divine Right of Kings, and his neurotic fear of revolutions prevented him from recognizing the signs of the time. Meantime representatives from all German states were elected for the first National Parliament. The Frankfurt Parliament passionately maintained that the duchies must remain under one ruler – who in time might be a German prince – and was anti-Danish. More and more disappointed with the Paulskirche confabulations, Jacob had become restive by the late summer. To the 1856 edition of the third volume of the Household Tales, Wilhelm added a section: Various Testimonies to the Value of Fairytales. Walking through the Tiergarten, Jacob had contemplated with pleasure his friend’s and former professor’s achievements.
