Von der Dekonstruktion zur Rekonstruktion

With his epoch-making work "The Life of Jesus, critically edited" (1835/36), the theologian David Friedrich Strauss shaped the cultural history of the 19th century like no other. Largely unknown, however, are the literary-historical monographs that he wrote after the involuntary termination of his theological career. This book sheds light on Strauß' literary-historical oeuvre in the context of the literary historiography of his time. As a result, a hitherto little-researched strand of Strauß's work is illuminated from a philological and scientific-historical perspective. At the same time, the study provides an important article for understanding the evolution of literary historiography and literary studies in formative phases of their professionalisation and disciplinary consolidation.