Letters as Material Communication in the Literature of the 12th to 17th Century (C10*)

• Subject Area: German Medieval Studies (Medieval German Literature)
• Term: from 2019 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 178035969

The subproject examines medieval and early modern stories about letters. As meta-textual scenes of written interaction, these stories enlighten a specific pre- and early modern text culture. In literary texts, the mobility of the letters is essential; practices like carrying and presenting the materialized messages are of particular interest. The subproject therefore analyses literary letters in respect to their transmission, focusing on the topological mobility of letters and the praxeological relationships between texts and their carriers.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 933: Material Text Cultures. Materiality and Presence of Writing in Non-Typographic Societies
• International Connection: Switzerland
• Applicant Institution: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
• Project Head: Dr. Sarina Tschachtli