Zum Marner als Minnesänger

MARNER AS ‘MINNESÄNGER’. This article deals with poems associated with a German poet of the 13th century known as ‘Der Marner’, under whose name both Latin and German Lieder as well as Sangsprüche have come down to us. Starting from the peculiar textual history of Marner’s Lieder, the paper discusses crucial questions such as stanza-linking and the overall unity of the poems, while examining the conception of the ‘author’, the formation of the œuvre as a whole, and the poetic status of the different types of poems. Finally, the important question of the authenticity of Marner’s Minnelieder is raised. The central thrust of the article is a new interpretation of Marner’s Minnelyrik, one that allows specific poetic patterns to emerge, and thus throws light on the underlying literary interests of the author and cultural movements of which he was a part. What will be argued is that this œuvre, notwithstanding its close adherence to tradition, has in fact a far from conventional organisation and a striking originality of detail. These, it will be claimed, are two strong reasons why – as is also suggested by the unequivocal findings from the textual records – the whole œuvre might more convincingly be attributed to a single Sänger than to a series of different poets. The conclusion is that the corpus of Minnelieder transmitted under the name of ‘Der Marner’ in the so called Große Heidelberger Liederhandschrift (Codex Manesse) should be seen as the work of a Sänger who firmly belongs to the tradition of professional singers whose repertoire comprised both Minnelieder and Sangsprüche and who could rely on a considerable poetic ability of their own