The Legends of Gertrud von Le Fort

This study of the legends of Gertrud von Le Fort investigates her reputation among literary critics as well as her application of a singular personal artistic philosophy, leading to an explanation for her idiosyncratic writing style. As a writer who continually evidences intention to control interpretation and audience in ways more radical than one normally finds, Le Fort provides a good starting point for studying the problem of textuality, particularly the question of the role of the reader.