Jean Paul, pseudonym of Johann Paul Friedrich Richter, (born March 21, 1763, Wunsiedel, Principality of Bayreuth [Germany]—died Nov. 14, 1825, Bayreuth, Bavaria), German novelist and humorist whose works were immensely popular in the first 20 years of the 19th century. His pen name, Jean Paul, reflected his admiration for the French writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Jean Paul’s writing bridged the shift in literature from the formal ideals of Weimar Classicism to the intuitive transcendentalism of early Romanticism. Jean Paul, the son of a poor teacher and pastor, studied theology at Leipzig but soon gave up his studies for freelance writing.
On returning to Berlin in 1794, Tieck attempted to make a living by writing. He contributed a number of short stories (1795–98) to the series Straussfedern, published by the bookseller C. F. Nicolai and originally edited by J. K. A. Musäus. He also wrote Abdallah (1796) and a novel in letters, William Lovell (3 vols, 1795–96).