In the light of the differential approach taken in this investigation of Heinrich Heine's Buch der Lieder , the collection stands revealed from a new perspective. The analysis shows it to be not only 'poetry of personal experience' and a critical engagement with that concept (Erlebnislyrik). In addition, it involves a critical engagement with (a) crucial conditions affecting textuality and authorship, (b) specific conditions relating to traditional concepts of subjectivity, originality, and authenticity, and (c) concrete conditions pertaining to conventional processes of understanding, interpretation, and reflection.