Reader in the Novels of C.M. Wieland

A very significant aspect of Wieland’s major novels Die Abenteuer des Don Sylvio von Rosalva, Die Geschichte des Agathon, and Die Geschichte der Abderiten is the fictional reader within the novels and his relationship to the actual or real reader. This study concentrates upon the fictional reader, his relationship to the real reader, the various means employed to manipulate the real reader, and the contribution to the narrative that is expected from the real reader. In all, the investigation shows how the involvement of the real reader attains a particular goal in each novel.