Poetologische Reflexionen in satirischen Romanen des 17. Jahrhunderts, 1615–1696/97

Abstract

The present study examines the poetological reflections in German satirical novels of the 17th century which in German are usually referred to as „lower“ novels. Taking as its star- ting point the assumptions that both the poetics and poetry are not clearly distinct in the relevant period and that both literature and its theory take different forms and functions, the study shows how poetological reflections, especially of satirical theory, are carried out within the fictional frame. Drawing on recent research on poetics as well as works on the relationship between literature and scholarship, the thesis aims to explain the role of literary reflections within a wider poetological discussion. In its study of „lower“ novels and especially with the inclusion of the Simplician Cycle, the dissertation builds on previous studies of early modern novels, as well as novel theory, carried out in Germany in the 1950s to ’70s, which it expands with regard to literature’s participation in the formation of the theory of the satirical novel. It is the chapter on Grimmelshausen’s Simplicissimus Teutsch and its spin-offs (the so-called „Sprossgeschichten“) that focuses most on aspects of satirical theory and the defense of the satirical mode as well as on how satire is presented within the narrative. However, a major focal point of the thesis is the analysis of Christian Weise’s polyvalent political novels and the theoretical text, Christian Weisens/ Kurtzer Bericht vom Politischen Näscher (1680). The dissertation concludes with an outlook on Christian Reuter’s two-part novel Schelmuffsky and its inherent discussion of genre as well as of its own literariness. Alongside the proposal to consider poetological reflections as an interpretative framework for satirical forms of narrative in the period examined in this study, the dissertation, by highlighting the structural changes within the literary discussions of satirical theory, offers a more accurate understanding of satirical novels and novel theory in the 17th century.

Date of Award	1 Oct 2016
Original language	German
Awarding Institution	King's College London
Supervisor	Anna Linton (Supervisor) & Catherine Smale (Supervisor)