Bestseller - gestern und heute / Bestseller - Yesterday and Today

Deutsch: Was bedeutet ein "Bestseller" für die Literaturgeschichte? Wie definieren wir einen solchen an erster Stelle, und welche Konsequenzen hat der Buchmarkterfolg für die literarische Bewertung eines Textes? In welchem Verhältnis stehen Quantität und Qualität zueinander? Viele Literaturwissenschaftler scheuen sich davor, "Bestseller" zum Untersuchungsschwerpunkt zu machen, aber die Frage nach der Kanonbildung hängt eng damit zusammen. Wie bewerten wir überhaupt die Qualität eines Textes? Das Thema "Bestseller" zwingt uns, die Beziehung zwischen Lesepublikum, Literaturwissenschaft und Buchmarkt genauer ins Augenmerk zu nehmen und einerseits Verkaufsstrategien zu identifizieren, andererseits die Überlegung anzustellen, welche Intentionen ein literarischer Text an erster Stelle verfolgt und wie wir als Literaturwissenschaftler kritisch damit umzugehen haben. Damit ergibt sich auch eine Herausforderung, die Grundlagen der Literaturwissenschaften erneut zu überprüfen und sowohl vormoderne als auch zeitgenössische "Bestseller" in ihrer sozialhistorischen und mentalitätsgeschichtlichen Relevanz wahrzunehmen, ohne dass textästhetische Kriterien vernachlässigt werden dürfen. Englisch: What is the meaning of a "bestseller" for the history of literature? How do we define it in the first place, and what consequences does the success on the book market have for the literary evaluation of a text? What is the relationship between quantity and quality? Many literary scholars shy away from doing research on "bestseller", but the question regarding the formation of a literary canon is closely connected with this issue. How do we evaluate the quality of a text in the first place? The topic of the "bestseller" forces us to examine more closely the relationship between the reading public, literary scholarship, and the book market. On the one hand we have to examine the sales strategies for a book, on the other we have to consider what intentions a literary text might pursue first of all, and how we as literary scholars have to engage with the text critically. From this results also the challenge to re-investigate the foundation of literary scholarship and to take note of premodern and modern "bestseller" in their social-historical and mental-historical relevance, without ignoring the textual aesthetics.

What is the meaning of a "bestseller" for the history of literature? How do we define it in the first place, and what consequences does the success on the book market have for the literary evaluation of a text? What is the relationship between quantity and quality? Many literary scholars shy away from doing research on "bestsellers", but the question regarding the formation of a literary canon is closely connected with this issue. How do we evaluate the quality of a text in the fi rst place? The topic of the "bestseller" forces us to examine more closely the relationship between the reading public, literary scholarship, and the book market. On the one hand we have to examine the sales strategies for a book, on the other we have to consider what intentions a literary text might pursue fi rst of all, and how we as literary scholars have to engage with the text critically. From this results also the challenge to re-investigate the foundation of literary scholarship and to take note of premodern and modern "bestsellers" in their social-historical and mental-historical relevance, without ignoring the textual aesthetics.

Klappentext

What is the meaning of a "bestseller" for the history of literature? How do we defi ne it in the fi rst place, and what consequences does the success on the book market have for the literary evaluation of a text? What is the relationship between quantity and quality? Many literary scholars shy away from doing research on "bestsellers", but the question regarding the formation of a literary canon is closely connected with this issue. How do we evaluate the quality of a text in the fi rst place? The topic of the "bestseller" forces us to examine more closely the relationship between the reading public, literary scholarship, and the book market. On the one hand we have to examine the sales strategies for a book, on the other we have to consider what intentions a literary text might pursue fi rst of all, and how we as literary scholars have to engage with the text critically. From this results also the challenge to re-investigate the foundation of literary scholarship and to take note of premodern and modern "bestsellers" in their social-historical and mental-historical relevance, without ignoring the textual aesthetics.

Inhalt
With essays from: Manuel Almagro Jiménez, Montserrat Bascoy Lamelas, Rocío Carrasco, Albrecht Classen, Luis J. Conejero-Magro, Francisco Manuel Marino, Silvia Martínez Martínez, M. Cinta Mesa González, Reinhold Münster, Eva Robustillo Bayón, Ana Rodríguez Domínguez, Lorena Silos Ribas, Juan de Dios Torralbo-Caballero, Juan Miguel Zarandona, Amira Zmiric.