Private libraries as sources for the reception of Austrian literature in the 19th century. Vincenz Seback's book collection in the mirror of its time

The 19th century was a highly eventful period in Austria's history, both in literary and cultural terms. The transition from the 18th to the 19th century saw a significant increase in the demand for reading; the reading public grew rapidly across all social classes and with it the demand for literature. Reading and the associated curation of private libraries was no longer the exclusive preserve of the nobility; the aspiring bourgeoisie now emulated them and also set up book collections. During this period, Vienna developed into "[...] a natural center of this bourgeois bibliophilia." This research project is dedicated to investigating the reception of fiction in Vienna and the surrounding area in the 19th century by analyzing selected private libraries. The focus is on the private library of the canon and theology professor Vincenz Seback (1805-1890), which was bequeathed to Klosterneuburg Abbey. The collection comprises around 11,000 volumes, which were integrated into the holdings of the monastery library after Seback's death without considering the context of their provenance. The doctoral thesis focuses on the identification and analysis of the works of fiction from Seback's collection, which have found their way into the shelfmark area "Germ. literature" (E23) in the library system. The aim is to use this specific book collection to create a reader profile and to gain exemplary insights into the literary landscape and the reading habits of emerging educated middle-class social groups in Vienna and Lower Austria during the 19th century. This is to be done by comparing them with other contemporary libraries, such as that of the orientalist Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall (1774-1856), that of the Margarethen innkeeper Franz Seraphicus Haydinger (1797-1876) or directories of lending libraries. It is planned to locate and evaluate further private libraries.