Lydia Miklautsch

Considered by researchers to be typical post-classical adaptations of medieval narratives and of lesser literary value, the poems about the Germanic hero Wolfdietrich are among the “best sellers” of the Late Middle Ages. The author investigates the reasons for their success and reveals that the popularity of the texts lies in their unique mixture of narrative elements and the episodic structure of their plots. What counted was not their literary value, but the sheer diversity of the hero’s adventures that satisfied readers’ wide-ranging interests.