Friedrich Hölderlin (1770-1843) only wrote one novel. After long hesitation and the consideration of a large number of alternatives, he finally published the work in the form of an epistolary novel. The study reconstructs the development of this literary project by subjecting for the first time all sections in the texts of the preliminary stages to a detailed examination. This perspective culminates in an interpretation of the final version based on the history of its genesis. The foundation for this approach is achieved by situating the text precisely and systematically in the philosophical, political, and literary contexts of the 1790s.