How free can an individual truly be in a society? Goethe's Götz dies in prison, his last words are: "Freedom! Freedom!" Schiller's Marquis Posa demands from the Spanish King Philip: "Grant freedom of thought!" In contrast, for the disoriented characters of contemporary literature, it holds true: "Freedom comes when it has become irrelevant" (Zygmunt Bauman). Freedom is the key concept in the history of modern German-language literature. Furthermore, freedom is the foundation of creative production and thus the development of literature. This introduction not only provides an overview of literary history but also connects this overview with the central question of the (im)possibility of being free.