Sprachkunst Jahrgang XLI/2010/2. Halbband, pp. 233-244, 2012/07/18
Beiträge zur Literaturwissenschaft
Gottfried Benn’s well-known poem ›Astern‹ is traditionally read as a mere autumn impression or considered as bearing a hermetic meaning. The history of its genesis, however, reveals unexpected aspects. ›Astern‹ stands at a turning point in Benn’s literary development; it is a poetological poem and to this point a political one, reacting upon the occurrences during the early years of the Third Reich.