With his Literaturgeschichte der deutschen Stämme und Landschaften ['Literary History of the German Tribes and Landscapes'] Josef Nadler is one of the most important 20th century scholars in German Studies. His concept, which ascribes a particular literary epoch to each "German tribe" has evoked fascination and rejection in equal measure. This first monograph on the subject concerns itself with the basis of his concept, where its problematic aspects lie, how it managed to gain academic recognition from the 1920s onwards and then lost this recognition again after 1945.