Literary criticism is one of the most important instances of literary mediation. It shapes the public notion of what literature is, and what it could be or should be. To this day, however, despite its diverse functions in the literary world, it only plays a marginal role in literary studies. Only in recent years has it begun to be established in the course of a more practical orientation in teaching and research in German studies departments. The contributors to this volume examine literary criticism past and present, addressing in an interdisciplinary approach its function in the media, school and society.