Klassiker des Mittelalters

The term classic is not a neutral classification but amounts to a kind of distinction. Qualities that give a text its place in the canon include timeless value, a reception history spanning several generations, and wide contemporary availability. All the works discussed here are classics in this sense: the songs of Walther von der Vogelweide, Wolfram von Eschenbachs Parzival and the Nibelungenlied remain very readable even after 800 years. Key works of mediaeval literature are introduced in ten essays with discussion of the central questions of how a canon is formed: what makes an author, work or even a subject a classic? What are the decisive criteria for the evaluation of a literary text? Which aesthetic concepts underlie the granting of canonical status? This volume is primarily aimed at students and other readers interested at gaining insights into the fascinating world of mediaeval literature. "Generally, Toepfer's volume is very well-written and well-argued, from the introduction through the final chapter () I recommend this volume as a resource for clear and logical arguments for constructing a curriculum at the university level. Finally, it is of highest importance for all who teach and advocate for medieval studies at our universities, and who have the power to affect curricular decsions, to equip themselves with such information and arguments as provided by this volume, in order to lend their support to an extremely significant aspect of what our students learn." (Christopher R. Clason, Monatshefte, Voll. 114, No. 1, 2022)

Inhaltsverzeichnis