The connection between literature and history in omnipresent in the works of Jean Paul (1763--1825). For him world history is an 'unfinished novel' and the world of the novel a 'higher' form of history. In 'anamorphoses' of time, i.e., in the apparent in-finitudes of poetry, the novel as seen by Jean Paul anticipates a future Arcadia above and beyond the fragmentarities of actual history. With reference to poetics, aesthetics, and philosophy, Ralf Berhorst's study examines the analogies drawn by Jean Paul between literature and history and paves the way for a new understanding of the structure of his novels.