Changing Perceptions of the Public Sphere

British and US scholars of German literature and culture assess the nature of public communications and the molding of public opinion in historical situations ranging from the late Middle Ages to the 20th century. In particular they look at the representation of the public sphere in literary writing a half century after the German original of Jurgen Habermas' The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere was published. Their overall themes are publics before the public sphere, thinking about Enlightenment publics, and cultural politics and literary publics. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Christian J. Emden is Associate Professor of German Intellectual History and Political Thought at Rice University.