Modelle politischer und persönlicher Kommunikation in der Literatur des deutschen Spätmittelalters. Der Fall von Rudolfs von Ems Der guote Gêrhart (ca. 1220)

In light of the fascinating romance Der guote Gêrhart by Rudolf von Ems (ca. 1220) it proves to be a rather productive approach to literary texts at large to view them through the lens of communication strategies. Human life has always been determined by communicative instruments, whether they fail or succeed to achieve their goals. When individuals ask questions, probe issues by way of inquiries, exchange ideas, or examine conditions, they operate always by way of linguistic means, language. Social, political, philosophical, or religious issues are critically addressed through language, and this finds a vivid expression in Rudolf’s romance as well. The protagonist, perhaps more than in many other texts of his time, appears to be a perfect communicator who models his life and that of his contemporaries with the help of dialogues, relying on various languages and sophisticated, calculating speech acts. If this approach proves to be effective, we might gain a new theoretical approach to literary analysis at large which promises to reestablish the social relevance of literature globally since literature constantly develops models of communicative situations and thus contributes to the better development of human life.