Karl Philipp Moritz’s studies of mythology are some of his most successful works. Appearing in a time of growing interest in the Greek pantheon, his Götterlehre (“doctrine of the gods”; 1791) was highly popular – it underwent multiple reprintings, and shaped the contemporary study of mythology and romantic conceptions of Greek myth. Moritz’s mythological writings appear here for the first time in a critical edition with commentary.
The Critical Edition of Moritz's Works (KMA) reveals for the first time the complete works of a key figure from the history of German literature and ideas who resided at the intersection between Enlightenment, Classicism, and Romanticism. Apart from producing a reliable edition of the texts, a main objective of this work is to provide a meticulous historical commentary.
The edition, which contains 13 volumes (Vols. 4, 5, and 7 each comprise two parts), presents the complete works and letters of Karl Philipp Moritz (1756-1793), together with documents from his activity as member of the Berlin Academy of Arts and of the Berlin Academy of Sciences.
The division of the volumes reflects the multiplicity of genres and subject areas treated by Moritz - poetry, travelogues, journalism, aesthetics, ancient studies, mythology, the theory of language, education, psychology, moral philosophy, freemasonry, as well as the editing and translation of works from foreign languages. It was a particular concern of the editors to document both Moritz's interdisciplinary achievements in linking these manifold interests and his involvement in the intellectual environment of late-Enlightenment Berlin.
