Despite the progress it made in the 80s and early 90s, research on aphorism still suffers from a lack of clarification in terms of literary history. The present studies thus set out to contribute to a history of German-language aphorism in the 20th century. The subjects discussed are expressionist aphorism, aphorism in the period of National Socialism, and minor literary forms situated on the cusp between lyric poetry and aphorism in post-1945 literature.