Editing Brothers Grimm (section)

=== Berlin and later years ===
[[File:Brothers Grimm Blow.jpg|thumb|upright|Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm in 1847 ([[daguerreotype]])]]
In 1840, Savigny and Bettina von Arnim appealed successfully to [[Frederick William IV of Prussia]] on behalf of the brothers, who were offered posts at the [[Humboldt University of Berlin|University of Berlin]]. In addition to teaching posts, the [[German Academy of Sciences at Berlin|Academy of Sciences]] offered them stipends to continue their research. Once they had established their household in Berlin they directed their efforts towards the work on the German dictionary and continued to publish their research. Jacob turned his attention to researching German legal traditions and the history of the German language, which was published in the late 1840s and early 1850s; Wilhelm began researching [[medieval literature]] while editing new editions of {{lang|de|Hausmärchen}}.<ref name="Z218ff" />

[[File:Graves of the Brothers Grimm at Alter St.-Matthäus-Kirchhof Berlin 2012.jpg|left|thumb|The graves of the Brothers Grimm in [[Schöneberg]], Berlin (St. Matthäus Kirchhof Cemetery)]]

After the [[revolutions of 1848 in the German states]] the brothers were elected to the civil parliament. Jacob became a prominent member of the National Assembly at [[Mainz]].<ref name="Z(1988)7ff" /> But their political activities were short-lived, as their hope for a unified Germany dwindled and their disenchantment grew. In the late 1840s Jacob resigned his university position and published ''The History of the German Language'' ({{lang|de|Geschichte der deutschen Sprache}}). Wilhelm continued at his university post until 1852. After retiring from teaching, the brothers devoted themselves to the ''German Dictionary'' for the rest of their lives.<ref name="Z(1988)7ff" /> Wilhelm died of an infection in Berlin on 16&nbsp;December 1859,<ref name="NG" /> and Jacob, deeply upset by his death, became increasingly reclusive. He continued working on the dictionary until his own death on 20&nbsp;September 1863. Zipes writes of the Grimms' dictionary, and of their very large body of work: "Symbolically the last word was {{lang|de|Frucht}} (fruit)."<ref name="Z(1988)7ff" />