Abstract
Abstract Johann Jakob Bodmer (1698–1783) belongs to the central figures of the European Enlightenment. Not only with his literary theoretical and aesthetic writings, but especially through his widely ramified network of letters, he played a decisive role in the formation of the literary field of the 18th century. However, so far only a small portion of his Nachlass is accessible in scientific editions. Using selected examples from the correspondence (in part unpublished) between Samuel Gotthold Lange, Johann Georg Sulzer, Martin Künzli and others, this article shows how Bodmer transferred critical discussions and debates conducted in his private correspondence into the public space, contributing to the establishment of the published letter as a genre of criticism in the Enlightenment.
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