Poetische Zeichensetzung

If punctuation is as insignificant as it is inconspicuous, why do German poets of the last century frequently violate its rules, so strictly observed by the culture at large? What is the function of punctuation and capitalization? Exploration reveals how young the system is, how ireflects, and perhaps even affects, cultural peculiarities and how it channels natural language into script, trading complexity for efficiency and public discipline. The essay sets poetry since Stefan George and Naturalism against the background of official rules and general practice, taking into account the reform of 1998. It highlights the promise of attentive reading in cultural as well as specifically poetic analysis. One of the possible consequences: standard editions of MHG literature ought to be cleared of anachronistic modern punctuation.