<!doctype html public «-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en»> http-equiv=content-type> In response to the pluralism of turn-of-the-century literature, the German author Paul Ernst (1866–1933) sought to reestablish a form of tragedy based on ancient models. This study shows while Ernst tried to counter contemporary formal dissolution, his underlying religious-mystical tendencies sabotaged this effort.