Engel, Teufel oder Opfer: Zur Auffassung der Frau in der sentimentalen Erzählung zwischen Renaissance und Aufklärung

The misogynic tradition originated in the Bible and has its social implications: the virtuous woman usually is a married lady, the seductive one stems from the peasantry or middle class. While this dualistic concept prevailed in various forms through the 16th and 17th centuries, this essay focuses on a divergent view of woman in the tragic love story which has its roots in Italy and, after having been received in Spain and France, spread to Germany as well. Taking Enea Silvio's "Eurialus et Lucretia" (1444) as a model, the essay analyzes a few unhappy love stories in German literature between 1632 and 1667 in which the female protagonist is portrayed as being driven by her passionate love against the conventional mores and therefore as falling victim to these conventions represented either by her lover or her parents.