Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock

Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock was a German poet, considered a significant representative of the Empfindsamkeit (sentimental) movement. He revitalized the German language and is seen as a trailblazer for subsequent generations of writers. Klopstock was the first to employ hexameter in German poetry with his work "Messiah," and his exploration of what he termed the "German hexameter" led to his theory of the word foot. This paved the way for the free rhythms later utilized by figures such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Hölderlin.