German literature

Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm and Wilhelm Karl Grimm were university professors of German philology and literary critics. Famous for their fairy stories for children, they also carried out extensive research on the German language of the time as well as on the country's folklore.

In order to do so they travelled all over Germany, collecting the various traditions of different regions by word of mouth from the locals. They also studied the language and its usage and the ancient folk tales of the different regions. When they talked with the people they also asked to be told the childhood stories they had heard as little children and took notes. A woman named Pastora provided them with most of the stories that they later compiled under the title The Grimm's Children's and Household Tales, which they published in two volumes between 1812 and 1815.

The collection was expanded in 1857 under a new title, Grimm's Fairy Tales. Among the stories that formed a part of this collection, some have acquired considerable fame, such as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves", "Cinderella" and "Hansel and Gretel".

Jacob was also an excellent philologist, who wrote German Grammar (1819-1837) which is deemed his most important scientific work.