Meuthen's study of the traditions operative in the German Künstlerroman is post-structuralist in its approach and as such advances a counter-concept to the traditional schematic inclusion of this genre in that of the Bildungsroman. It opens up an 'inverse' perspective in which central works of German prose literature are seen as cryptograms of a sophistic counter-movement to the main idealistic currents of European cultural history asserting themselves in the 19th century and thus establishing the 'modernist' perspective. The spectrum of works analyzed ranges from Heinse's »Ardinghello« through central classical and Romantic works, Rilke's »Malte Laurids Brigge« and Thomas Mann's »Doktor Faustus« to Thomas Bernhard's »Untergeher« and Ransmayr's »Letzte Welt«.