Charakterisierung des literarischen Schaffens von Moritz Jahn. Seine Bedeutung für das Plattdeutsche. F. E. Peters beschreibt, Moritz Jahn humorvoll folgend, "polare Spannungen" in Niederdeutschland: "Es gibt Niederdeutsche, die ihrem Lande nie so ganz trauen, die daheim in einer immerwährenden leisen Unruhe hinleben und die aufatmen, wenn sie in gebirgiger Gegend das nackte Gestein unter ihren Füßen fühlen. Dann wird klar, was sie sich bis dahin mühsam verhehlt haben: dass sie nämlich in einem geheimen Winkel ihrer Seele glauben, ihr Land sei vom Meere unterspült, könne an besonders dünnen Stellen durchbrechen, vom festen Kern der Erde losgerissen werden und in die Nebel der Unendlichkeit hinaustreiben. Auf felsigem Grund werden sie dann die neue und wohltuende Sicherheit mit großer Freude so lange genießen, bis das unwiderstehliche Heimweh sie zurücktreibt in die Unsicherheit."

Humorvolle kleine Geschichte um einen naiven Bauern, der sich in der Stadt ein bisschen wichtig machen, „dick doon“ will und den sein Plattdeutsch dazu verleitet, den Begriff „Subrektor“ falsch zu verstehen.

In diesem durch Erlebnisse aus der Zeit seiner Kriegsgefangenschaft in Frankreich (1914-1920) inspirierten Text erläutert Peters die ursprüngliche Bedeutung der plattdeutschen Redensart „to Stock doon“ und der hochdeutschen Redensart „etwas auf dem Kerbholz haben“.

The thesis is concerned with three main problems: (1) The derivation of Hoelderlin's conception of the Poet from the Renaissance tradition (2) The problems inherent in Hoelderlin's conception of the Poet (3) The relationship between Hoelderlin's conception of the Poet and the style of his poetic works. These questions are treated chronologically in their respective relevance to each stage in Hoelderlin's development. The first part of the thesis is devoted to the poet's early poetry, his novel "Hyperion", and his aesthetic theory as reflected in the various versions of that novel and in the philosophical fragments; the second part deals with the drama "Empedokles" and the mature poetry. For the purpose of this essay, however, it seems more practicable to abandon the purely chronological order and to discuss separately each of the three problems mentioned. (1) Hoelderlin's conception of the Poet is based on the Greek Vates and the biblical Prophet. The importance of the classical and biblical traditions for Hoelderlin as well as the extent to which he was influenced by Klopstock and other German contemporaries have been stressed again and again; but the significance of the tradition linkng the centuries between antiquity and the 18th century has been neglected. This thesis attempts to fill the gap and to show that Hoelderlin's conception of the Poet is inconceivable without the gradual change in the cultural pattern brought about by the Renaissance. It it in the Renaissance that art (with philosophy) takes over part of the function formerly fulfilled by religion, that the inspired individual rather than the institution of the Church becomes the mediator between God and men, that the national community emerges from the international society of the Middle Ages, and that a transformation of the classical and Christian heritage takes place. All this is reflected in the Renaissance conception of the Poet as Vates and Prophet, who interprets history and brings a divine message to his people. From Boccaccio to Scaliger this conception occurs in all major Italian Renaissance works on poetic theory. Ronsard, as the first modern Poet-Vates, introduces it in France. In England Sidney expounds similar views, later to be realized in the personality and work of Milton. In Germany it is Hoelderlin's Suabian compatriot Weckherlin who emulates the example of Ronsard, while Opitz sums up the typical contemporary view of poetry in his standard German Renaissance Poetics. A century later Gottsched and Herder go back to Opitz for their interpretation of the sacred mission of poetry. The young Klopstock is influenced by Gottsched as well as by Milton. He, Herder, Schiller and the Suabian poets, humanists and pietists, hand on the tradition to Hoelderlin. The idea, however, that the Poet is a Prophet would not be understandable without certain philosophical conceptions which were also developed by the Renaissance. Plato's theory of the "furor poeticus", commented on and interpreted in a neo-platonic way by Marsilio Ficino, is taken over by Ronsard and Opitz and blends with Giordano Bruno's and Shaftesbury's re-interpretation of neo-platonism and these influences join with Leibniz's monadology to shape German aesthetics in the 18th century. The conceptions then current reach Hoelderlin through Herder, Schiller, and Jacobi's book on Spinoza, which contained extracts from Bruno and Leibniz. Thus for Hoelderlin - as for his generation - God is the supreme artist, Beauty the very essence of the universe, the human soul a spark of the divine, and the Poet, according to Shaftesbury "a second maker", creates, like God himself, through the Word, the sacred Logos. These philosophical concepts both supplement and contradict Hoelderlin's view of the Poet as a Vates and Prophet. Equipped with the Renaissance heritage Hoelderlin arrives in Jena, the centre of German classicism and the cradle of romanticism. The impact of Kant, Fichte, Goethe, Schiller and Schelling on Hoelderlin and the reflection in his own philosophical writings of his contacts with these leading figures of contemporary letters are discussed in a separate chapter. In Hoelderlin's aesthetic theory the Renaissance conception of the Poet has been developed up to the point where it passes into romanticism. In this, Hoelderlin's place in German literature corresponds to that of Goethe. It is true, there is a vast difference which critics have rightly stressed. It is, however, one of the advantages of seeing Hoelderlin in the light of the Renaissance tradition that, in spite of differences, he appears as the contemporary of Goethe, the chief representative of the belated German Renaissance. Just as Hoelderlin's conception of the Poet goes back to the Renaissance, so do many of his poetic themes, such as the parallels between Christ and Hercules, Christ and Bacchus, the invitation to the Greek Muses to visit Germany, the praise of the vernacular, his approach to nature and geography, etc. (2) Hoelderlin's conception of the Poet is full of problems. They become first manifest in "Hyperion". The hero of this novel, a reflection of Hoelderlin himself, is the Poet, who in sublime visions sees divine Beauty, and the Vates who wants to free his people and rebuild Greece. As Vates he fails. He attributes his failure to the fact that the age is not ripe for his idealism, but it is also due to the conception of the Poet-Vates itself. As a Poet Hyperion delights in the very act of experiencing life in its joyful as well as tragic aspects, life revealing itself to him as a rhythmic whole which he calls Beauty and which is but the projection of the rhythm of human emotions into the universe. But the universe does not obey the laws of the human heart, nor does history; a "theocracy" cannot be founded on Beauty as Hyperion believes; his gift for experiencing deeply the joys and woes of life does not enable him to rebuild a new society - in short the Poet's vision does not prove to be the message of a Vates and Prophet. In the moment when, at the end of the novel, Hyperion is at the height of his poetic powers, he knows least how to serve his fellow men. In "Empedokles" the problem of the Poet's function appears somewhat differently. The hero of the drama represents the highest form of genius the poet can conceive. He combines the "Genie" of the Storm and Stress period, Schiller's aesthetic artist, the mystical mediator between God and men, the Greek Titan, and it is also suggested that he is a kind of Christian saviour. This symbol of everything Hoelderlin worshipped in man has to die. It is in the various motivations of the death of Empedokles that Hoelderlin presents the problematical nature of genius. The most interesting point is the question of the guilt of genius. Empedokles is guilty of what is described in the thesis as pseudo-mystical approach to the Gods. The pseudo-mystical experience becomes linked with the problem of language, the very instrument of the Poet. In order to re-establish the right relationship between himself and the Gods, Empedokes has to die. But as he prepares for death he is once again re-united both with his people and with the Gods. It is at the expense of his life that he is allowed to be the Prophet who delivers a divine message unto his people. The end suggests that genius can be both, and almost at the same time, the culprit and the redeemer, a conception which Hoelderlin's theory of tragedy tries to justify. As regards the drama itself we are left with one the one hand the glorification of genius and on the other the dangers, the guilt, the tragic fate that go with genius. The problem of genius is also the main theme of Hoelderlin's mature poetry. It is by singing of genii that he evokes the vast panorama of his later elegies, odes and hymns.

Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Austrian poet, dramatist, and essayist (1874-1929), published with the Insel-Verlag from its inception in 1901 until his death. This work examines Hofmannsthal's relationship with his publisher Anton Kippenberg (1874-1950). The author was drawn to the Insel-Verlag initially through his association with its founders, Alfred Walter Heymel and Rudolf Alexander Schröder, who published the short-lived periodical Die Insel. Known for its emphasis on aesthetics, the magazine set a tone that became characteristic for the firm. As a poet, Hofmannsthal found the climate beneficial and the audience of the Insel-Verlag receptive to his early lyrical works and certain other writings outside the mainstream of his later production. Under Anton Kippenberg's direction, these works were assured careful attention to detail; typeface, binding, illustrations, and all aspects of the physical book were designed to harmonize with its contents, enabling Hofmannsthal to present his writings in a format which did his creations honor. Hofmannsthal published four categories of material with the Insel-Verlag: his early lyrical works; republications issued as deluxe editions; reprints of selected texts in the inexpensive but elegantly designed Insel-Bücherei, and other Insel publications such as the Insel-Almanach or Inselschiff; and introductions and essays composed in his role as editor of compilations appearing under the Insel imprint. Hofmannsthal showed a great awareness of the Insel's particular Verlagsprofil in his selection of texts issued under its signet. Anton Kippenberg brought financial stability, business-like organization, and sound aesthetic judgement to the Insel-Verlag, creating an atmosphere in which Hofmannsthal's works could thrive. Early in his association with the Insel-Verlag, Kippenberg advanced a program which echoed many of Hofmannsthal's concerns and thus further solidified their relationship. Kippenberg proposed to give a book the design and format appropriate to its contents, to serve world literature, to expand the market for these titles without sacrificing quality to economics, and to support a select group of contemporary authors. Hofmannsthal's association with publisher Anton Kippenberg was a complex and often stormy one. United through shared goals, the two men worked to achieve a relationship mutually beneficial to each, one in which both the reputation of the individual and that of the firm were enhanced by their cooperation.

This thesis re-evaluates the work of the neglected Austrian novelist Franz Nabl. Nabl’s reputation has long been overshadowed by the prestige of Jung-Wien, denigrated by inaccurate association with the Heimatroman, and even unjustly tarnished by his appropriation during National Socialism. My work aims to correct these misconceptions, demonstrating that his best fiction merits rehabilitation not only in its own right, but also for the important questions it raises about conventional narratives of Austrian literary history. Structured chronologically, the five chapters of this thesis provide fresh analyses of Nabl’s texts, many of which have previously received only scant scholarly attention. These close readings are located in a range of relevant literary-historical and cultural contexts, illustrating that Nabl’s writing not only belongs in surprising literary company, but also that his works fit into important, yet often overlooked patterns in Austrian literary history which are often obscured by a tradition of criticism which values ‘modernism’ over ‘realism’, and privileges the aesthetically progressive over the apparently conservative. The first chapter investigates Nabl’s earliest fiction in the literary and cultural context of fin-de-siècle Vienna, revealing unexpected connections between Nabl and acknowledged modernists, such as Schnitzler and Kafka. The second and third chapters engage with Nabl’s novels, Ödhof and Das Grab des Lebendigen, establishing his status as a significant critical realist within a long tradition of Austrian works exploring unhappy family life. The fourth chapter focuses on the misleading view of Nabl as a regionalist, demonstrating that, while not all Heimat novels deserve critical condemnation, Nabl’s narratives of rural life invoke the conventions of the Heimatroman only to disappoint them. In the last chapter, I explore Nabl’s complicated relationship to National Socialism, showing that, although his involvements with the Nazis were ill-judged, Nabl was not committed to their politics and wrote only politically innocuous fiction during the regime.

This thesis investigates models of subjectivity and agency in early twenty-first-century pop-feminist fiction and non-fiction. Non-fiction accounts of subjectivity (Haaf, Klingner and Streidl, 2008; Valenti, 2007; Moran, 2011 et al.) draw on poststructuralist notions of incoherent, performative identity, yet retain the assumption that there remains a sovereign subject capable of claiming full autonomy. The pop-feminist non-fictions reflect a neoliberal model of entrepreneurial individualism where self-optimisation replaces an ethics of intersubjective relations. In exploring the theoretical blind-spots of pop-feminist claims to female autonomy and agency, this thesis sets out to demonstrate that pop-feminist non-fiction lacks an actual feminist politics. My methodology is comparative and primarily involves the close reading of a corpus of pop-feminist texts from the Anglo-American and German contexts. I utilize my corpus of current essayistic pop-feminist texts as a fixed point of reference, deeming them to be representative of a pervasive kind of contemporary postfeminist thinking. Through the employment of the first-person narrative voice the literary authors explore how subjects are constituted by discourse but also how the subject may shape her choices/actions. Subjectivity becomes a generative capacity characterised by expansive and self-reflexive negotiations between self and other. The fictional portrayal of this process prompts an imaginative and extrapolative process of identification and dis-identification in the reader which opens up a site for the exercise of critique. Through my close readings of the novels (Riley, 2002; Walsh, 2004; Thomas, 2004; Grether, 2006; Roche, 2008; Bronsky, 2008; Baum, 2011; Hegemann, 2010) I develop a model of intersubjective dependency, drawing on Judith Butler’s later work (1994, 1999, and 2005), and identify versions of this model in the 1980s-1990s work of American postmodern feminist writers Kathy Acker and Mary Gaitskill. My thesis reveals hitherto un-discussed lines of literary and critical influence on the contemporary British and German novelists emanating from Acker and Gaitskill, suggesting that their texts may be viewed as representative of a critical pop-literary interest, spanning approximately three decades and shifting across cultural contexts, in the encounter between female subjectivity and agency in the face of late-capitalist manifestations of social constraint.

Bislang konzentrierten sich die Untersuchungen des westdeutschen Blicks auf Ostdeutschland auf den Zeitraum vor der Wende oder auf Rundfunk- und Fernseh-Medien. Die Gegenwartsliteratur stellt einen weißen Fleck in dieser Frage dar. Anhand des Chronotopos-Konzepts von Michail Bachtin werden in dieser Arbeit daher zeitliche und räumliche Tiefenstrukturen in der Darstellung Ostdeutschlands in den Werken Jan Böttchers und Andreas Maiers herausgearbeitet und mit ihrer Darstellung Westdeutschlands verglichen. Neben grundsätzlichen Unterschieden fallen dabei signifikante Übereinstimmungen auf.

Diese tragische Geschichte von einem Jagdunfall, bei dem ein dreizehnjähriger Junge, einziger Sohn seiner Eltern, ums Leben kommt, ist die bekannteste Episode aus der 1975 posthum veröffentlichten Baasdörper Krönk. F.E. Peters hat sie zu Lebzeiten auf Hochdeutsch veröffentlicht. Die Erzählung variiert den Freischütz-Stoff.

Beschreibung einer Reise durch das Elsass verflochten mit Zitaten aus F. Hölderlins Gedicht „Der Rhein“ (1801) und Entdeckung des Friederike-Brion-Grabes in Meißenheim. Peters entzaubert den Friederike-Mythos mit einer empathisch-kritischen Frage, die literarische Überhöhung und Lebenswirklichkeit kontrastiert: „Dem Mädchen aus Sesenheim geschah Leid von dem Halbgott. Leid war der Preis für das Licht der Unsterblichkeit,… War der Preis zu hoch?“