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Chronological table of life and work

January 12 (?). Birth of Anna Elisabeth (Annette) von Droste-Hülshoff at the moated castle of Hülshoff, Roxel, near Münster. Father: Clemens August von Droste-Hülshoff (1760-1826). Mother: Therese von Droste-Hülshoff neé von Haxthausen (1772-1853). Siblings: Maria Anna (Jenny), later Baroness von Laßberg (1795-1859). Werner (1798-1867). Ferdinand (1800-1829). The wet-nurse, Maria Catharina Plettendorf from Altenberge undertakes the care and upbringing of the sickly, seven-months child.

From summer that year Therese von Droste-Hülshoff undertakes teaching and education of Die Droste and her sister Jenny.

First lyrical attempts. 39 poems are extant, from childish random texts to poems in a 1811 sensitive tradition through to instructive contemplative lyrics among which are Das Lied des Soldaten in der Ferne (1808), Der Abend (1809) and Das Schicksal (1810).

August-September. First journey to Bökendorf, the seat of relatives on the mother’s side, near the town of Brakel in the Paderborn region.

Lessons given by Bernhard Wenzelo, the priest and steward, since April.

Twenty-two further juvenile poems, mainly influenced by Schiller, or couched in the manner of late Romanticism and Biedermeier - among them Das befreyte Deutschland and Unruhe.

November 26. First visit to the almost fifty years older university professor Anton Matthias Sprickmann (1749-1833) who remained associated with Droste as her literary correspondent and mentor until 1819.

Working on the tragedy Bertha oder Die Alpen which remained uncompleted.

January. Becomes acquainted with Catharina Busch, active as a writer, who became the mother of Levin Schücking. July. Renewed visit to Bökendorf and surrounding area. Acquaintanceship with Wilhelm Grimm.

August. Friendship with twenty-five years older Wilhelmine von Thielmann. October (?). The dramatic piece, Scenen aus Hülshoff comes into being.

January-October. Work on the verse epic Walther. Serious health problems. August. Summer sojourn at Bökendorf and surrounding area. Visit to Grimms at Kassel. Acquaintanceship with Amalie Hassenpflug and Jacob Grimm. Encounter in Bökendorf with Heinrich Straube (1794-1847) her uncle August von Haxthausen's fellow student of of nearly the same age, at Göttingen university.

Early spiritual songs, among others Das Morgenrot schwimmt still entlang, Glaube, Hoffnung, Liebe.

April. Straube spends Eastertide at Hülshoff. April-July. A stay at Bökendorf, interrupted by a course of treatment at Bad Driburg (summer) and visits to relatives in Wehrden and Hinnenburg. September. Encounter with Straube. Working on the unfinished novel, Ledwina. Occupied with the material until at least 1826.

Work on the first part of Das Geistliche Jahr.

Summer. Breakdown of relationship with Heinrich Straube as a result of a family intrigue.

Intensive music studies. Settings and compositions. Work on operatic projects Babilon and Der blaue Cherub.

A possible journey into the Sauerland is considered.

September-November. The journey to the Sauerland.

October-April 1826. Visits to family and friends in Bonn (Moritz von Haxthausen, Clemens von Droste-Hülshoff and Cologne (Werner von Haxthausen). Strikes up friendship with Sybille Mertens-Schaffhausen whose house is the centre of an arts circle. Acquaintanceship with numerous academics. Leaves Cologne for a visit at Wilhelmine von Thielmann’s (October-December) in Coblenz.

July 25. Death of her father. Werner von Droste-Hülshoff assumes possession of the family estate at Haus Hülshoff. September. Therese, Jenny and Annette von Droste-Hülshoff move to Haus Rüschhaus at Nienberge, near Münster.

Begins work on verse epic Das Hospiz auf dem großen St. Bernhard

May. Another visit to Bonn (Moritz von Haxthausen). Meeting with Sybille Mertens-Schaffhausen (Plittersdorf) and Wilhelmine von Thielmann (Bad Godesberg). Acquaintanceship with Johanna and Adele Schopenhauer (perhaps not until 1830/31).

June 15. Death of her brother Ferdinand. Die Drostte suffers subsequent continuous serious sickness. September 15. Referral to the homeopath Clemens Maria von Bönninghausen. Gradual return to health. Die Droste remained true to homeopathy for the rest of her life.

First drafts for Judenbuche.

September - June 1831. Third Rhine journey. Staying at Clemens von Droste-Hülshoff’s. Frequent visits to Moritz von Haxthausen's family. Meetings with the acquaintances from previous Rhine stays. Social relations with Adele and Johanna Schopenhauer.

after June 9. First meeting with Levin Schücking at Rüschhaus.

January/February. Provisional conclusion of work on Hospiz.

Working on verse epic Des Arztes Vermächtnis (Actual beginning unclear)

February/March. Beginning of friendship with the philosophy lecturer Christoph Bernhard Schlüter in Münster, in whose house she is subsequently often a guest . Acquaintance with Wilhelm Junkmann. August-September. Journey in the Netherlands. Stays at Zutphen, Apeldoorn (Palais Het Loo) and Arcen. Summer. First plans for publication of verse epics. October 18. Marriage of Jenny von Droste-Hülshoff to Joseph von Laßberg; they move to Schloß Eppishausen at Erlen in the canton of Thurgau, Switzerland. Winter 18834/35. Start of work on verse epic Die Schlacht im Loener Bruch.

July/August. Journey to Eppishausen with intermediate stay in Bonn. Excursions in the surrounding area. Revision of the Lochamer Liederbuch., compositions. The poems Schloß Berg, Am Weiher, Der Säntis, Der Graf von Thal, among others, emerge during the stay in Switzerland.

October 29. Return journey from Eppishausen, at first to Bonn. Staying with Pauline von Droste-Hülshoff. Social relations with acquaintances from previous Rhine sojourns.

Work on verse epic Die Schlacht im Loener Bruch. Revision and completion (by December) of the two other verse epics. Working on opera composition Die Wiedertäufer [The Anabaptists]. February 5. Return journey from Bonn to the Rüschhaus with intermediate stay in Cologne. February/March. Concrete planning for the edition of poems of 1838 (together with Schlüter and Junkmann). April/May. First visit to Bökendorf and Abbenburg for seventeen years. December 11. Acquaintanceship with Elise Rüdiger.

February. Conclusion of Die Schlacht im Loener Bruch. March – beginning of June. Die Klänge aus dem Orient originates. April – September. Further stays at Abbenburg and Bökendorf.. Frequent visits to relatives. Reunion with Amalie Hassenpflug. August 11. Publication of Gedichte von Annette Elisabeth von D…. H…. by the Münster Aschendorff Verlag. Autumn. Der weiße Aar originates (certainly before November 12, 1840). End 1838. The cycle Des alten Pfarrers Woche appears in the newspaper "Coelestina" (1839). End 1838 / Start 1839. Formation of a literary circle around Elise Rüdiger, the so-called Hecken-Schriftsteller-Gesellschaft. Members include Levin Schücking, Lousie von Bornstedt, Wilhelm Junkmann et al. Die Droste, when she happens to be in Münster, takes part in the meetings on Sundays. The acquaintanceship with Schücking deepens, who regularly visits the Rüschhaus. End 1838 / Start 1839. The Laßberg family moves to Meersburg on Lake Constance.

Resumption of work on Die Judenbuche.

July/September. Journey to Abbenburg and Bökendorf. Meeting there with Amalie Hassenpflug. Visits in Kassel, Wehrden and Erpenburg. August. Resumption of work on Das Geistliche Jahr (second part).

Schücking’s regular visits to the Rüschhaus. Occasional visits of Elise Rüdiger. January. Provisional conclusion of Das Geistliche Jahr. Ongoing further work on the texts in succeeding years, without the emergence of a final version. March. Completion of Die Judenbuche. September – November. Manuscript of the comedy Perdu! Oder Dichter, Verleger und Blaustrumpf. In the course of the year abundant production of ballads. Among others, Der Geyerpfiff, Der Mutter Wiederkehr, Der Graue as well as Das Fräulein Rodenschild, Der Schloßelf, Vorgeschichte (Second sight) for "Das Malerische und romantische Westphalen" (first phase).

November – Mai 1841. Collaboration on "Das Malerische und romantische Westphalen" by Levin Schücking and Ferdinand Freiligrath. Die Droste supplies local descriptive prose and ballads.

Winter/Spring. Die Droste and Schücking resolve to work intensively on their literary projects. Exceedingly abundant production of lyrics by Die Droste, which, according to Schücking, results from a bet between them. Some sixty poems arise, among others, Die Vendetta, Die Vergeltung, Die Schwestern, Der Knabe im Moor, die Zeitbilder, die Haidebilder and also the poems Die Schenke am See, am Thurme, Im Moose, Mein Beruf, Meine Todten, Am Bodensee, Die Taxuswand, Das Spiegelbild, and ***"kein Wort, und wär' es scharf wie Stahles Kinge". Collaboration by die Droste on the first part of Schücking’s novel "Das Stiftsfräulein".

January – May. Second phase of production of ballads for "Das Malerische und romantische Westphalen". Among other works, Die Stiftung Cappenbergs, Das Fegefeuer des westphälischen Adels, Der Tod des Erzbischof Engelbert von Cöln emerge. March. Start of work on the Westphalia novel Bei uns zu Lande auf dem Lande. May – June. Collaboration on Schücking’s "Der Familienschild". September 21. Departure for Meersburg (arrival September 30). Social relations with friends of the von Laßberg family from Meersburg and surrounding area. Excursions in the surrounding region, including Konstanz, Heiligenberg, Birnau, Hersberg, Langenargen. October 9. Schücking’s arrival at Meersburg, who is engaged as the librarian there. Schücking’s and Die Droste’s frequent extended walks at Lake Constance.

February – September. In all, seven of the newly completed poems appear in the Cottaschen "Morgenblatt" through the good offices of Schücking. April 2. Schücking's departure from Meersburg. An intensive correspondence follows. April/May. Die Judenbuche; Ein Sittengemälde aus dem gebirgigten Westfalen appears in the Cottaschen "Morgenblatt für gebildete Leser" May/June. Westphälische Schilderungen aus einer westphälischen Feder written in support of Schücking who had accepted an essay about Westphalia for a compilation. July 29. Departure from Meersburg. August 14. Arrival at the Rüschhaus after an intermediate stay in Bonn. August - December. Der spiritus familiaris des Roßtäuschers emerges.

Continuing work on preparation of the edition of poetry of 1844. Copies and a few new poems. Sustained discussions about choice of publishing house.

Frequent serious sicknesses during the year. June – August. Family visit at Abbenburg. Journey to Wehrden, Corvey, Epernberg and Heesen. September 20 (?). Departure for second visit to Meersburg (Arrival on October 3). November 17. At an auction, bought the Fürstenhäusle together with the vine-trellis December 31. Completion of copies for the poetry edition of 1844.

January 17. Consignment to Schücking of the manuscript for the poetry edition of 1844. February. Acquaintanceship with Philippa Pearsal. February/March. Six poems composed for an almanac of the Muses planned by Schücking and Geibel, among which are Gemüth, Mondesaufgang, Sylvesterabend and Der sterbende General. April/May. Ten to twelve poems composed, intended for publication in the "Morgenblatt", among which are Das ich der Mittelpunkt der Welt, Spätes Erwachen, die todte Lerche, Lebt wohl (all appear in August) as well as Der Dichter – Dichters Glück and An einen Freund "Zum zweyten Mahle will ein Wort". May 6 – 30. Visit of Schückings, the married couple, to Meersburg. June – September. The poems Grüße and Im Grase composed. September 14 (?). The poems, Gedichte von Annette Freiin von Droste-Hülshoff, published by the Cotta-Verlag (Stuttgart, Tübingen). September 23. Return journey from Meersburg to Rüschhaus (arrival September 26). October. Work on crime story, Joseph (until at least May 1845).

Continuing deterioration of health. Estrangement from Schücking. February 23. Wet-nurse Catharina Plettendorf dies at the Rüschhaus Mid-March. Up to this point, the poems Das Bild, Das erste Gedicht, Durchwachte Nacht, are composed. March/April. The cycle, Volksglauben in den Pyrenäen, is composed. April/May. Das Wort composed. May 20 - October 2. A stay at Abbenburg. The so-called Abbenburger poems (Gastrecht, Auch ein Beruf, Carpe Diem, Unter der Linde, Das verlorene Paradies, Gethsemane) composed at Schücking's urging, who had assumed responsibilty for the "Rheinisches Jahrbuch" (Cologne 1846). Further deterioration of health. October 1 – November 1. Westphälische Schilderungen aus einer westphälischen Feder appears in the "Historisch–politische Blätter für das katholische Deutschland". (Ed. Guido Gorres). November. Abandonment of further publications in newspapers at urging of the family.

Severe weakening of health. Continuous treatment by Bönninghausen. March/April. Renewal of friendship with Schlüter. April. Final break with Schücking after reading his novel, "Die Ritterbürtigen". August. An einem Tag wo feucht der Wind composed at Schlüter's behest. Mid-September. Despite health problems, start of her journey to Meersburg. After an intermediate stay of some fourteen days in Bonn (at Pauline von Droste-Hülshoff’s) onward journey to Meersburg September 28. Arrival in Meersburg. October 1. Gradual recovery there. Visits by Philippa Pearsal.

Persistent debility interrupted by a few brief phases of improvement. July 21. Writing of will December/January 1848. Auf hohem Felsen lieg ich hier and Als diese Lieder ich vereint composed.

February/March. Improved state of health. April. Renewed deterioration of health. May 24. Death of the authoress. May 26. Interment at the Meersburg cemetery.