Abstract

The article analyzes how the concept of ‘Heimat’ was established and shaped in the second half of the 19th century in the contemporary mass medium of the journal. In the context of the universal claim and the miscellaneous structure of periodical publications, the locally focused discourse on the homeland serves as a centralizing element. Based on this centripetal function, the article discusses the role of literary publications in these periodicals. A comparison of Adalbert Stifter's canonized Nachkommenschaften (Descentants) with the today unknown Der Schütz' von der Pertisau by Herman Schmid, editor of the the journal Heimgarten, shows that “Heimat” refers not only to geographical and cultural, but also to genealogical complexes. Furthermore, Stifter's satirical revision of Schmid's demonstrates that irony can also be part of he discourse on the homeland – a tendency which only becomes apparent when we analyze literary texts within the context they were first published in.