Compact, reliable, and didactically oriented, this volume traces the paths of German literary history: from the "Hildebrandslied" to the works of Lessing, Schiller, Goethe, Heine, and Fontane, through the Manns and Brecht, to Böll, Grass, and Julia Franck, the authors have compiled a canon of German poetry that does not overlook any of the numerous highlights. Each of the approximately 1,000 articles on works includes information about the author, the history of creation and reception, as well as other works by the author; the texts position the work within its time, summarize its content, and provide a brief interpretation. Approximately 170 articles on central concepts such as minstrel poetry, the Bildungsroman, Vormärz, film adaptations of literature, or digital literature complete the picture and clearly elucidate a variety of connections.