Brentano's romantically wild novel was published in 1801 in two volumes. The first part, structured as an epistolary novel, creates a mysterious web of relationships between various characters, which the second part, designed as a linear narrative, seeks to unravel and clarify. Arbitrary choices, subjectivity, irony, and breaks in illusion define the structure of Brentano's only novel. The lyrical undertone is enhanced by numerous interspersed songs, including enchanting ones like "A Fisherman Sat in the Boat" and "At Bacharach on the Rhine.".