Abstract

The study combines a general theory of the history of literary genres with a history of the sonnet from the Middle Ages to the Romantic period. It demonstrates the adaptability of artistic genres, paying special attention to media and communication theoryand social and historico-cultural aspects. For the sonnet, it proposes models for its genesis in the Middle Ages and its various historical manifestations. This is a fundamental work on genre theory and the history of the German and European sonnet.