The Enlightenment - a well-known era? This volume provides an introduction to the Age of Enlightenment from a literary studies perspective. The central aesthetic developments and debates of the 18th century are discussed in a problem-oriented manner, incorporating current research. The era is reflected upon in a fresh and innovative way: discussion of the concept of epochs and their boundaries, author, market, and audience: structural change in the literary public sphere. The era is examined in light of contemporary debates, such as: national literature, antiquity, aesthetics, religion, the popularization of knowledge and literary knowledge transfer, cultural transfer and experiences of the foreign, genre innovations and genre changes: drama, novel, journalism, and literary criticism, fable and prose narrative, dialogue and essay. Press reviews: "It is to be welcomed that the Akademie Verlag has launched the series 'Studies'...".