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Abstrakt

Around 1800, German philosophy and literature frequently discussed the topic of history. This study examines, from a philosophical perspective, the structure of history as presented by Heinrich von Kleist in his short story “On the Puppet Theatre” (1810). Since Kleist’s story is situated between literature and philosophy, it is essential to supplement his position with concepts from philosophy of his time. The interpretation will provide a model of falling away from the original unity grasped as indifference, the emergence of difference, and a backward movement towards the original unity grasped as identity. This process is the acquisition of self-consciousness, knowledge, and history. We interpret the return to the initial starting point as a circular movement, as a historical fulfilment of the difference, and as the gain of ultimate knowledge of the whole of reality. By making the subject and object of knowledge identical at the end, the difference between them ceases and the original unity is re-established.