DOI: 10.1515/iasl-2026-0001 ISSN: 1865-9128
Zwischen den Zeilen und zwischen den Texten
Carlos Spoerhase, Pauline SolviAbstract
This paper examines the meticulous reading practices of nineteenth-century Prussian censors. Driven by suspicion of subversive content, censors read not only “between the lines” but also “between the texts”, reconstructing meaning through paratextual references and even ephemera encountered in public spaces. The resulting interpretive practices of deciphering literary publications whose meanings were deliberately complex and dispersed posed significant hermeneutical challenges to censors and contemporary readers alike.