The Swiss Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1825-1898) is, alongside fellow Swiss authors Gottfried Keller and Jeremias Gotthelf, one of the most significant representatives of realism in 19th-century German literature. For his stories, Meyer preferred historical subjects: The love story "The Amulet," written in 1873, is set in France during the time immediately before and during the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, when Protestants were violently driven out of the country. The novella "The Judge," published in 1885, centers around an alleged incestuous relationship and takes place in the realm of Emperor Charlemagne around the year 800.