Brandan's zorn: the Middle High German Reisefassung and the Poetics of Book Burning

Journal article

This article explores the motif of book burning in the Reisefassung, examining the ways in which it serves not only to negotiate medieval anxieties about censorship and the vulnerability of books as material objects, but also to underpin the construction of narratorial authority. The first section examines how the introduction of book burning as a poetological motif may serve as an apotropaic strategem. Here, the topos that 'God will protect the truth' is particularly pertinent. The second section focuses on the specifics on the Brandan story, looking at the way in which the Middle High German Reisefassung foregrounds Brandan's anger (zorn) and questioning the extent to which the burnt book is ultimately 'saved' in the Reisefassung. The final section draws connections between Brandan's behaviour and the possible responses of the readers of the Reisefassung, arguing that this is not just a simple case of Brandan being cast as a negative exemplum; instead the quasi-survival of the burnt book (in the form of the Reisefassung) actually provides evidence that God will indeed protect that truth and that any individual acts of aggression towards the (right kind of) book may be dismissed as ultimately irrelevant and are not to be feared.

Authors: Volfing, AM

• Publication status: Accepted
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Journal: Oxford German Studies
• Acceptance date: 2025-11-07
• EISSN: 1745-9214
• ISSN: 0078-7191
• Language: English
• Keywords: emotions; anger; Brandan; book burning; disbelief; marvels