From Philology to Literaturwissenschaft

The disciplinary transition of the german studies in the work of Friedrich Gundolf

Abstract

This paper proposes to analyze Shakespeare und der deutsche Geist, published by Friedrich Gundolf, in 1911, relating it to the epistemological and disciplinary development of the German Studies, emphasizing the History of Literature. In this sense, the influence of the concept of experience [Erlebnis], important reference to the Germanists of the first decade of the 20^th century, was underlined. This article is divided in three interconnected parts. The first presents the disciplinary development of the German Studies, highlighting the place of the History of Literature in this process. The second comprehends the epistemological and disciplinary changes undergone by the History of Literature, including the significance of the concept of experience, from the first decade of the 20^th century. The last part analyzes the work of Gundolf, joying it together with the previous two parts and pointing out the use of the concept of experience and its connection with the social function of the scientific knowledge.