Naturkatastrophe als Zeitkritik

This article explores the temporality of the catastrophic event depicted in Martin Opitz’s Vesuvius (1633), demonstrating that it is not a linear construct, but rather that the temporal dimension evolves with its own logic. The relationship between time and eventfulness is based on complex connections that become poetically significant. The text uses ‘chrono-references’, which, due to their complexity, manifest in ways that extend beyond mere spatial representation. This is because the poem ultimately presents cyclical time, which cancels out the singular catastrophe to some extent. It thus offers a commentary on the perception of time and the extent of catastrophe. Vesuvius presents the past and the present simultaneously, meaning that temporality is negotiated as a category itself.