For the 5th edition, which is now published in the small series V&R, Gerhard Kurz has thoroughly reviewed the standard volume that has proven itself many times since 1982 and updated the bibliography. The analyses and definitions of three central literary terms are explained with constant reference to traditional usages and provide numerous examples from German, English, and French literature. The volume is particularly practical due to the author's conviction that hermeneutic terms cannot be defined once and for all, but always require renewed intersubjective understanding. It offers the essential foundation for this purpose.