Sprachkunst Jahrgang LII/2021, 2. Halbband, pp. 135-167, 2022/05/23
Beiträge zur Literaturwissenschaft
Jahrgang LII/2021, 2. Halbband
Taking as its starting point the epigone syndrome in nineteenth-century literature, this essayis the first to analyse these dimensions of cultural critique in Keller’s novella ›The MisusedLove Letters‹. Drawing on elements of Empfindsamkeit, Sturm und Drang, Romanticism, andRealism, the novella caricatures the dilettantism of an epigonal pseudo-author with aspirationsto genius. In this context, the study also examines the novella’s complementary plot lines, itscouple constellations, and its reminiscences of the classic Bildungsroman, whose structuralprinciple Keller’s novella adapts for the lives of several characters.