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Arts & Communication Reading Hölderlin in an exhibition

“Nußbaum” (“walnut tree”), “Erdbeerhain” (“strawberry wrote what, for whom, and when? With which writing
grove”), “Pomeranze” and “Pomeranzenwälder” utensil and on which writing medium? At what speed was
(“bitter orange” and “bitter orange forests”). Twice: it written? What was deleted, what is missing, what belongs
“Granatbaum” (“pomegranate tree”), “Holunderbaum” to which text and to which version of a text? The curatorial
(“elder tree”), and “Erdbeerstrauß” (“strawberry team has arranged these manuscripts chronologically,
bouquet”). Three times: “Obstbaum” (“fruit tree”) and transcribed and annotated them, from the early Stammbuch
“Pfirsich” (“peach”). Four times: “Kirschbaum” (“cherry verses to the hymns to late Scardanelli poems, supplemented
tree”) and “Feigenbaum” (“fig tree”). Eleven times: by an audio track read by the German actor and writer
“Weinstock” (“vine”). 15 times: “Traube” (“grape”). Hanns Zischler, so that all visitors cannot only decipher for
110 times: something is “süß” (“sweet”), twice “süßlich” themselves but also listen while looking. In the exhibition
(“sweetish”), and only once something “sauer” (“sour”— space, the next two chapters shine through behind this
the “Sauerklee,” “wood sorrel”). “layer of poetry” so that the aggregate state “manuscript”
(ii) 37 times roses “blühen,” “glühen,” “stechen,” is visually confronted with the aggregate state “bodily
“kränzen,” and “umwehen” (“bloom,” “glow,” “sting,” measurable literary experience.”
“wreathe,” “waft around”). They are “wild,” “still,”
“herrlich,” “jung,” “süß,” and “dornig” (“wild,” “silent,” 5. Sensing. Reading Hölderlin in the
“glorious,” “young,” “sweet,” “thorny”) and occurs Laboratory
as “Frühlingsrosen,” “Moosrosen,” “Rosenstrauch,” Every human being experiences himself and his environment
“Rosenhecken,” and “Rosenpfad” (“spring roses,” through his senses, and does so on a daily basis: he has esthetic
“moss roses,” “rose bush,” “rose hedge,” “rose path”). experiences. But what are esthetic experiences? Are they
Twice they color the face as a “Wangenrose” (“cheek a special case of everyday experience or something more?
rose”), twice they bathe the world in mildes or How can such experiences that are triggered by literature be
holdes “Rosenlicht” (mild or lovely “rose light”). Ten described? Are there experiences specific to the experience
times they have “Dornen” (“thorns”) and they form of literature and make it special? Does “literary experience”
“Dornengänge” and “Dornenpfade,” a “Dornenbahn” extend beyond the sensually experienced? What does this
and a “Dornenbett” (“thorny passages,” “thorny paths,” imply for the assessment and evaluation of literature —
“thorny track,” “a bed of thorns”). also in social and societal terms? In five laboratory stations,
(iii) Hölderlin lets “Blumen” (“flowers”) bloom 78 times visitors can help us find initial answers through simple and
— in “Blumengängen,” on a “Blumenhügel” and short experiments. Again, the focus is on Hälfte des Lebens.
a “Blumenfeld” (“flower corridors,” “flower hill,” These laboratory stations can be outlined as follows: (i) we
“flower field”). “Blüten” (“blossoms”) shine 47 times, read poems not only from left to right but also crosswise
“Knospen” (“buds”) appear four times. Hölderlin is and vertically. However, what movement patterns does an
more precise with these blooming flowers and herbs: eye tracker record as we read poems? How does the pattern
“Krokus” (“crocus”), “Thymian” (“thyme”), “Mohn” change in relation to the visible form? (ii) When poems
(“poppy”), “Hyazinthe” (“hyacinth”), “Tulpe” (“tulip”), touch us, we react physically to them — does our heartbeat
“Sauerklee” (“wood sorrel”), “Kleeblatt” (“shamrock”), actually change when we read? Does it speed up or slow
and “Ampfer” (“dock,” 1 each), “Disteln” (“thistles”) down? (iii) Each poem possesses its own particular voice,
and “Maiblumen” (“mayflowers”) (5 each), “Lilien” but do we all recite a poem in the same way? Do we get
(“lilies,” 7), and “Rosen” (“roses,” 37). “Nektar” higher, lower, quieter, louder at the same places? (iv) Poems
(“nectar”) is obtained from these flowers five times, are a performative genre. How do we translate a poem into
“Honig” (“honey”) three times. 16 times something gestures? How do we write or paint them with our bodies?
is “duftend” (“fragrant”), once even “düftereichst” (v) He who knows more sees more. Do reflection and
(“richest in fragrances”). “Nelken” (“carnations”) and knowledge change our literary experience? How important
“Veilchen” (“violets”) grow in two places in the poems. is the voice of a text, its structure, and silent reading? How
important are handwriting (the original manuscript) and
4. Understanding. Reading Hölderlin in biographical narratives to the esthetic experience?
Manuscript
The results of each visitor are projected into the
Twenty-four poems by Hölderlin from the holdings of room, stored, and evaluated. For this purpose, interactive
the Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach are the focus of techniques such as a kinetic camera and an eye tracker
this chapter of the exhibition. Regarding the manuscript, were adapted to exhibition conditions in collaboration with
understanding means, first of all, being able to decipher its media designers, and a special visitor guidance system was
content. In a second step, detective work is added: Who developed using touchpads and visual translations. Our

Volume 1 Issue 2 (2023) 4 https://doi.org/10.36922/ac.1467