Gervinus now devoted himself to literary and historical studies, and between 1849 and 1852 published his work on _Shakespeare_ (4 vols., 4th ed. 2 vols., 1872; Eng. trans. by F. E. Bunnett, 1863, new ed. 1877). He also revised his _History of German Literature_, for a fourth edition (1853), and began at the same time to plan his _Geschichte des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts_ (8 vols., 1854-1860), which was preceded by an _Einleitung in die Geschichte des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts_ (1853). The latter caused some stir in the literary and political world, owing to the circumstance that the government of Baden imprudently instituted a prosecution against the author for high treason. In 1868 appeared _Händel und Shakespeare, zur Ästhetik der Tonkunst_, in which he drew an ingenious parallel between his favourite poet and his favourite composer, showing that their intellectual affinity was based on the Teutonic origin common to both, on their analogous intellectual development and character. The ill-success of this publication, and the indifference with which the latter volumes of his _History of the 19th Century_ were received by his countrymen, together with the feeling of disappointment that the unity of Germany had been brought about in another fashion and by other means than he wished to see employed, embittered his later years. He died at Heidelberg on the 18th of March 1871. Gervinus's autobiography (_G. G. Gervinus' Leben, von ihm selbst_) was published by his widow in 1893. It does not, however, go beyond the year 1836. See E. Lehmann, _Gervinus, Versuch einer Charakteristik_ (1871); R. Gosche, _Gervinus_ (1871); J. Dörfel, _Gervinus als historischer Denker_ (1904).