ZSCHOKKE, HEINRICH. - German writer, b. at Magdeburgo on 22 March 1771, d. at Aarau (Switzerland) on 27 June 1848.
He was a Protestant pastor, professor of philosophy, and, from 1798, a Swiss civil official. A versatile and prolific writer, influenced by Pestalozzi’s philanthropic ideas and in turn influencing the trends of popular pedagogy associated with Gotthelf and Hebel, Z. successfully edited uplifting periodicals for the people, among them the important weekly Stunden der Andacht (1809–16), often reprinted in book form with either a Catholic or Protestant imprint. His adventure, social, and historical novels were continued, translated, imitated, and partly dramatized, and gave a strong impetus to the historical novel in the wake of Scott and to novels set in folkloric milieus. His competition with Kleist and others in the literary elaboration of a village scene depicted in a copper engraving is well known (the tale Der zerbrochene Krug, 1813).