Francis G. Gentry 
A Companion to the Works of Hartmann von Aue 

New essays on major aspects of the work of the great medieval German poet.


In perhaps 25 years of creative productivity (ca. 1180-ca. 1205), Hartmann von Aue authored a dispute about love between the body and the heart,
Die Klage, numerous songs of courtly love, crusading songs, and most likely took part in a Crusade himself. He composed the first German Arthurian romance,
Erec, based on Chrétien’s like-named work, and he — apparently — ended his literary career with a second,
Iwein. Further, he is the creator of two provocative rel-igious-didactic works,
Gregorius, a tale of double incest, repentance, and redemption, and
Der arme Heinrich, the account of a seemingly perfect nobleman who is stricken with leprosy and then ultimately cured by a process set into motion by a very young peasant girl, whom he ultimately marries. No other medieval German poet treats such an extraordinary breadth of themes at such a high level of artistic expression. The essays in this volume, written by scholars from North America and Europe, offer insight into many aspects of Hartmann’s
oeuvre, including the medieval and modern visual and literary reception of his works. The volume also offers considerations of Hartmann and Chrétien; Hartmann’s putative theological background and the influence of the Bible on his tales; the reflection of his medical knowledge in
Der arme Heinrich and
Iwein; and acomplete survey of his lyric production. Newer avenues of research are also presented, with essays on issues of gender and on the role of pain as a constitutive part of the courtly experience. It is hoped that this volume will prove to be a stimulating companion not only for those familiar with Hartmann but also for those who are just making the acquaintance of one of the greatest of medieval German poets.


Francis G. Gentry is Professor Emeritusof German at the Pennsylvania State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Tabella dei contenuti

Introduction – Francis G. Gentry

Hartmann’s Theological Milieu – Frank Tobin

Hartmann von Aue as Lyricist – Will Hasty

Hartmann von Aue and Chrétien de Troyes – Alois Wolf

Gender and Love in the Epic Romances of Hartmann von Aue – Alexandra Sterling-Hellenbrand

The Two-Fold Path: Erec and Enite on the Road to Wisdom – Francis G. Gentry

The Body in Pain in the Works of Hartmann von Aue – Scott E. Pincikowski

Illness and Cure in Hartmann von Aue’s the
Arme Heinrich and
Iwein – Melitta Weiss Adamson

Hartmann’s Legends and the Bible –

Hartmann’s Works in the Visual Arts – James A. Rushing Jr.

The Medieval Literary Reception of Hartmann’s Works – W.H. Jackson

A Tale of Sacrifice and Love: Literary Way Stations of the
Arme Heinrich from the Brothers Grimm to Tankred Dorst – Rüdiger Krohn

Circa l’autore

Scott E. Pincikowski is Professor of German at Hood College, Frederick, Maryland.