Reduzierte Romantik : Adalbert Stifters Bunte Steine und das Programm einer »Wiederherstellung in dem ursprünglichen Sinne«

Abstract

Adalbert Stifter’s writing scheme for the story collection Bunte Steine (Many-colored Stones) is based on a paradigm of restoration that aims at renewing an original – a paradigm he himself had applied as a conservator of art monuments. In contrast to the outcomes of his conservatory work, the contradictions inherent to restorative desire come to light in his literary texts. As a result, the ‘realistic’ text is undermined by a ‘romantic’ structure which is difficult to control.