I dispositivi della visione e la narrazione come processo di conoscenza in Adalbert Stifter

From his early works, the tale Der Condor and the report Die Sonnenfinsternis am 8. Juli 1842 Stifter shows his interest in optical devices like the telescope and the magic lantern. In both texts the telescope is the instrument through which the negative side of the sublime is made perceptible. In the novella Feldblumen the convex mirror is an image of artistic representation in its deforming aspect. In Stifter's major novel Der Nachsommer the hero Heinrich goes through a process of individual learning based on the observation and description of nature. This training in observation leads him later to appreciation of art. Stifter creates a narration aimed at a concrete knowledge, which makes the protagonist able to experience the truth of natural laws in human life.