This outline fills a gap by presenting a history of didactic poetry between the late Middle Ages and the Enlightenment. In addition to established authorities, it also considers the field of neo-Latin texts and translations of ancient and especially Italian didactic epics. It is framed as a historical reconstruction of all relevant poetological discussions from Aristotle to Goethe along with a look ahead to the 18^th and early 19^th centuries.

Wilhelm Kühlmann, Universität Heidelberg.