The study begins by advancing an interpretation of "Vor dem Sturm" that emphasizes the construction of the work and hence the artistic and spiritual unity and cohesion for which it is remarkable. The focus then shifts to the poetological ideas set out in "Vor dem Sturm", particularly in the debate on 'genuine' and 'false' Romanticism and the prominent status accorded to Hölderlin as a representative of Romanticism in Fontane's historical novel, despite the latter's relative obscurity in the period in which it is set (1812/1813). The 'poetic realism' of late Fontane stands revealed as a synthesis between Realism and Romanticism. Section three of the book situates Fontane's views on Romanticism and Hölderlin within the history of Hölderlin's reception in Germany.