What epistemological claim do literary and cultural studies raise? In the first part of his study, Christian Kohlross presents a brief metahistory of literary theory (or theories), i.e. of the theoretical processes hitherto used as the basis for knowledge in literary and cultural studies. In the second part, he then shows the consequences of this history for a different self-image of literary theory - particularly if one tries to grasp the essence of art, meaning and understanding using pragmatic means.