Almost all of Heinrich von Kleist's writings, whether literary or journalistic, have some sort of political framework, and many of them have some relevance to questions that were at the heart of current debate in Germany at that time. This book offers an interpretation of his work against the shifting political context of his age. It aims to add to the understanding of Kleist and his age by considering what was distinctive about his contributions to ongoing political debates, and by suggesting what Kleist's interventions teach us about the historical epoch in which he lived.

The book is organized into six chapters. The first of these offers an introduction to the leading political questions of Kleist's age. It examines the political structures of the enlightened absolutist government of Kleist's native Prussia and traces some of the most important public debates within Germany on the practice of absolutism. It then considers how the political organization of the German states came to be challenged by events in France, and how some of Prussia's leading statesmen and intellectuals responded to the difficult problems raised by the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon. The second chapter offers readers an introduction to Kleist's biography and focuses on the diverse ways in which Kleist's life bore the impressions of the high political changes happening around him. It shows not only how the political climate of the age affected Kleist's life, but also suggests how his life can be interpreted as the product of the interaction of events, public debates, and the intellectual engagement of a creative mind.