Branded products opened a new poetological playing field for literature. This study shows how the works of E. Edel, T. Mann, I. Keun, W. Koeppen, and C. Kracht reflected the material, semiological, and cultural theory aspects of consumer culture and transformed them into literary devices. The volume considers a range of issues, from product catalogs to fetishization, including capitalist circulation processes and the fascination with surface. It uses close readings to open the readers eyes to the cultural poetological dimension in literary texts and the conditions of culture in capitalism.

Björn Weyand, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Germany.