Michael R. Ott

The study raises the question of what consequences it would have for medieval German studies to shift from the paradigms of "philology" and "literature" to the paradigm of "text." Seven chapters explore this question, testing its potentials and offering historically informed answers. Using the "Nibelungenlied," possibilities for synoptic text readings are discussed. The search for the political aspects of lyric poetry replaces the opposition between Minnesang and Sangspruchdichtung. "Inscriptionality" and "documentality" bring long-overlooked forms of writing into the spotlight. Historically oriented narratives make established disciplinary boundaries appear fragile. Network analyses visualize personal relationships and highlight the prominence of medieval authors. A retrospective on the debate about fictionality opens up spaces for contemplating medieval narrative worlds – and the distinction between text and literature ultimately raises the question of what a medieval "text science" could be. Thus, fundamental issues are addressed on a broad basis, and options are sought for a medieval German studies of the 21st century.

This volume will be made available as Open Access under the license CC BY 36 months after publication.