Instead of remaining silent or expressing hurt feelings, Karoline von Günderrode responded to Brentano’s letter by candidly describing the impression it had made on her. She writes that, contrary to his intentions, he had aroused not her emotions, but her intellect. She says nothing about his breach of decorum, recognizing that he is playing a literary game. Ultimately, she explains, the letter is not directed at her as a person, but at a fantasy image he has created of her. According to Günderrode, the different resources of language used in his letter reflect the facets of his own contradictory character.