Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Johann Nikolaus Götz

GÖTZ, Johann Nikolaus (1721–1781), a minor German poet, born at Worms, 9th July 1721, studied theology at Halle (1739–1742), where he became intimate with Gleim and Uz, acted for some years as military chaplain, and afterwards filled various other ecclestiastical offices. He died at Winterberg, 4th November 1781. The writings of Götz consist of a number of short lyrics and several translations, of which the best is a rendering of Anacreon. His original compositions are light, lively, and sparkling, and are animated rather by French wit than by German depth of sentiment. They give easy expression to some unexpected whim or conceit, and, though utterly destitute of depth or force, are yet very pretty specimens of elegant trifling. Of that sort of work it would be difficult to find more favourable examples than Thamire an die Rosen and An eine Romansleserin. See Götz’s collected works, with biography by Ramler (Mannheim, 1785, new ed., 1807); also J. H. Voss, Briefe über Götz und Ramler (Mannheim, 1809).