Kotzebues journalliterarisches Nachleben

Abstract

Introduced in response to the assassination of August von Kotzebue, the Carlsbad Decrees of 1819 marked a new era in German press and censorship history. Whereas the historical developments surrounding the Decrees have been well researched, this article traces Kotzebue’s literary afterlife by focusing on a series of fictional letters ostensibly written by the dead author. Drawing on the genre tradition of the dialogues of the dead, this fictional correspondence was published (and occasionally censored) in various periodicals of the early 1820 s and thus explored the manifold ramifications of the new restrictive press law.