Based on a satirical poem about the asparagus mass in Leipzig by the writer Johann Christian Trömer, who wrote about the sociability in the city of Leipzig in the first half of the 18th century, this introduction sketches the thematic concern of this volume. Firstly, it provides an overview of the state of research on early modern sociability in German Studies and in adjacent disciplines. Secondly, it explains why Leipzig can be regarded as a representative place for research concerning forms of Geselligkeit in the early modern period.
Though sociability was not a guiding principle of early modern Lutheran ethics, it was not simply rejected by theologians in an indiscriminate manner. The following article outlines basic tenets of the 17th century Lutheran discussion of sociability in the framework of the adiaphora doctrine. The evaluation of phenomena like dance and theatre were strongly influenced by ‘confessional competition’. In demarcation to both ‘Calvinism’ and ‘Pietism’, Lutheran theologians stressed the positive function of dance and theatre, but also of gambling, for conviviality. Thus, in addition to the demand for the regulation of sociability by the government and the Church, the insight of an inherent rationale of early modern sociability gradually emerged.
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