Sämtliche Werke: Band 9 Briefsteller

Volume 9 of the critical edition of Karl Philipp Moritz' complete works provides renewed access to Moritz' guides to letter-writing: Anleitung zum Briefschreiben (1783) and Allgemeiner deutscher Briefsteller (1793). In the interests of an authentic personal style, Moritz bases his counsels very largely on authentic letters and takes most of his examples from his own everyday experience. Accordingly, these guides contain various epistolary documents on Moritz' life and works. In addition, the authentic letters used as models provide precise insights into the hierarchic structures of late 18th century Prussian society. The edition elucidates the texts with a detailed commentary on their biographical, historical, and art-theoretic context (including the history of their reception). Here special emphasis is given to the interrelations between these two guides and Moritz' other works on language and style.