Allgemeine Geschichte der Literatur ein Handbuch in zwei Bänden von Johannes Scherr

Johannes Scherr’s Allgemeine Geschichte der Literatur was first published in the mid-19th century as a comprehensive effort to synthesize global literary history into an accessible, two-volume handbook. Scherr, a German historian and author known for his radical political views and prolific writing, intended this work to provide a democratic overview of literature that transcended mere academic categorization. By situating literary movements within their broader social and political contexts, he sought to create a guide that was as informative for the educated layperson as it was for the scholar.

The design of the work reflects the mid-Victorian preference for substantial, scholarly reference sets that served as cornerstones for a private library. Printed during a time when German literary criticism was shifting toward more structural and historical analysis, the volumes were widely respected for their ambition and scope. While Scherr’s prose style was occasionally noted for its polemical flair, the handbook achieved lasting recognition as a foundational pedagogical tool for understanding the evolution of Western and Eastern literature throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries.