“ In order to be close to his young pupils, Lenz had to remove to Fort Louis in the neighbourhood, and while here became deeply enamoured of Goethe’s friend, Friederike Elisabeth Brion (1752–1813) , daughter of the pastor of Sesenheim. Lenz endeavoured, after Goethe’s departure from Strassburg, to replace the great poet in her affections, and to her he poured out songs and poems (Die Liebe auf dem Lande) which were long attributed to Goethe himself, as was also Lenz’s first drama, the comedy, Der Hofmeister, oder Vorteile der Privaterziehung (1774) . ”

“ In 1776 he visited Weimar and was most kindly received by the duke; but his rude, overbearing manner and vicious habits led to his expulsion. In 1777 he became insane, and in 1779 was removed from Emmendingen, where J. G. Schlosser (1739–1799) , Goethe’s brother-in-law, had given him a home, to his native village. ”

“ Der neue Menoza (1774) ; Die Soldaten (1776) ; Die Freunde machen den Philosophen (1776) , though accounted the best of his works, are characterized by unnatural situations and an incongruous mixture of tragedy and comedy.
Lenz’s Gesammelte Schriften were published by L. Tieck in three volumes (1828) ; supplementary to these volumes are E. Dorer-Egloff, J. M. R. Lenz und seine Schriften (1857) and K. Weinhold, Dramatischer Nachlass von J. M. R. Lenz (1884) ; a selection of Lenz’s writings will be found in A. Sauer, Stürmer und Dränger, ii. ”