This introduction emphasizes and problematizes the notion of literary Expressionism as an epoch. It provides an introduction to the foundations and trends of research into Expressionism, and it gives an overview of the problems and typical forms of this literary-historical strand. For this new edition, the volume has been expanded by a chapter on recent approaches in the wake of the spatial and material turns in cultural studies. The introductory discussion of general problems related to research into epochs is addressed to beginners who look for a first orientation.