GERMAN LITERATURE. The literary history of the German-speaking peoples of the continent of Europe may conven iently be divided into six main sections: I. The Old High German Period, from the earliest records to the middle of the I 1 th century.
II. The Middle High German Period, from the middle of the to the end of the 14th century.
III. The Transition Period, covering the 15th and 16th cenIii. The Transition Period, covering the 15th and 16th cen- turies.
IV. The Period of Renaissance and Baroque, from the end of the 16th century to the middle of the 18th.
V. The Classical and Romantic Period of Modern German literature, from the middle of the 18th century to Goethe's death in 1832.
VI. The Period from Goethe's death to the present day.