Abstract (eng)
The aim of this thesis is to demonstrate that the Middle Ages are a feature of the “essence of romanticism” („Wesen der Romantik“). Therefore, the previous uses of the term “essence of romanticism”, other definitions of romanticism, and the method of definition will be discussed. A portrayal of the way the Middle Ages were received in the romantic period will be followed by chapters on how Ludwig Tieck and in particular his 1834 text “The old book and the journey into the blue: A fairytale-novella.” („Das alte Buch und die Reise in’s Blaue hinein. Eine Märchen-Novelle“) can function as a starting point for a definition of romanticism. Crucial to this argument is the fact that Tieck in 1834, when he wrote his text, could already look back on romanticism (which, it is often claimed, ended in 1830) as an era of the past. In the following chapters the text will be examined very closely with regard to its structure, the role of the Middle Ages (as both temporal setting of a narrative level and material object in the sense of the „old book“), and intertextual references to other authors. The presentation of a personal literary history, putting emphasis on the Middle Ages, is particulary noteworthy. Based on the aforementioned, a complex text comes to light, which makes use of both romantic elements as well as contemporary literature. In addition, the way Tieck uses the Middle Ages shows their central status in romanticism.