The loss to science is not serious, for Tieck hardly possessed the
grasp and security which could have made him a peer of the great
pioneers in this field. From the time of his leaving for Italy,
Tieck's importance for the development of Romanticism becomes
comparatively negligible.

After a roving existence of years, during which he lived in Vienna,
Munich, Prague and London, he made a settled home in Dresden. Here he
had an enviable place in the very considerable literary and artistic
group, and led an existence of almost suspiciously "reasonable"
well-being, from a Romantic view-point. The "dramatic evenings" at his
home, in which he read plays aloud before a brilliant gathering, were
a feature of social life. For seventeen years he had an influential
position as "dramaturg" of the Royal Theatre, it being his duty to
pass on plays to be performed and to decide upon suitable actors for
the parts.

During his long residence in Dresden Tieck produced a very large
number of short stories (_Novellen_) which had a decided vogue, though
they differ widely from his earlier writings in dealing with real,
contemporary life.

It is pleasant to record that the evening of Tieck's long life was
made secure from anxieties by a call to Berlin from Friedrich Wilhelm
IV., the "Romantic king." His last eleven years were spent there in
quiet and peace, disturbed only by having to give dramatic readings
before a self-sufficient court circle which was imperfectly equipped
for appreciating the merits of Tieck's performances.