In literature the term “German” wears many hats—it can indicate a person’s ethnicity or cultural background, denote a language, or even signal an entire style of thought. For instance, Thomas Carlyle uses it to evoke regional identity and tradition when describing “German black bread” [1], while William James points to the intellectual pedigree of a German author to bolster a psychological argument [2]. Mary Shelley’s mention of a character’s German mother [3] and Andersen’s use of German as an alternative language [4] illustrate how the term both marks heritage and functions as a mode of communication. At the same time, authors like Nietzsche and his contemporaries invoke “German” in discussing philosophy and cultural customs, suggesting that it embodies an entire aesthetic or national spirit [5, 6]. In short, “German” is deployed in literature not only to convey factual or historical details about nationality or language, but also as a subtle shorthand for a deeper cultural or intellectual identity.