Säkularisierte Figuraldeutung? Erinnertes Kulturerbe und erdichtete Friedensaufrufe in Günter Grass' Erzählung »Das Treffen in Telgte«

This article proposes a reading of Günter Grass's «Das Treffen in Telgte» (1979) in the light of figural interpretation. The question as to why Grass rekindled this specific tradition will be mainly addressed showing how he turned it into a structural element of his secularized view of history. Special attention will be paid to issues of peace along with some connected aspects derived from the history of ideas and the emblematic traditions of the Baroque era, notably focusing on the image of the thistle.