This initial volume of the series provides a basic introduction into the particularities of the history of mentality, language and literature in a study of the Middle Ages focusing on German language and literature. The main body of the book comprises an account of German love poetry from its beginnings in the “Donauländischer Minnesang” to Oswald von Wolkenstein. Concrete examples illustrate how early German love poetry from the 12th to the 15th century revealed and expressed poetically the emotional dimensions of love as a key value of human life and developed it in several stages and individual emphases to an epochal flourishing. On this series:The new series provides lucidly illustrated introductions to classical texts of the German Middle Ages. Students and anyone interested in literature will gain an overview of epoch-making accomplishments, themes and genres of German medieval literature. Practical tests of the medieval production of books, exemplary translations and interpretations equip the reader with the basic knowledge necessary to understand the unique character of medieval literature and book design. In addition, excursuses on the history of reception illustrate the historic changes in the perception of the Middle Ages since the 19th century. As a whole, the volumes provide a comprehensive contentual and methodological tool for the study of German medieval literature.Thanks to the generous illustrations and the translations, the series is also an invitation to anyone interested in literature to explore the classical authors and works for themselves in original medieval versions. weiterlesen