Literarischer Gundriss zur Geschichte der deutschen Poesie, von der ältesten Zeit bis in das sechzehnte Jahrhundert

Published in 1812, this foundational work by Friedrich Heinrich von der Hagen represents a significant milestone in the Romantic-era project of documenting German literary heritage. Working during a period of intense nationalistic fervor, von der Hagen sought to systematize the fragmented history of Germanic poetry, moving beyond mere anthology to provide a critical, chronological framework that traced the evolution of the language and its poetic forms from the earliest records through the end of the sixteenth century.

Von der Hagen was a pioneering Germanist and philologist whose editorial rigor helped establish Middle High German literature as a respected academic discipline. His design for this volume emphasized pedagogical utility and historical depth, reflecting his belief that the national spirit was best understood through its medieval roots. While scholars of the era occasionally critiqued his methodology as the field matured, the work remains an essential primary document for understanding the nineteenth-century intellectual efforts to canonize the Germanic past.