Ferdinand Kürnberger has been called the "Stammvater" (founding father) of Viennese critical journalism, and his fanatical pursuit of the truth earned him the appellation of "Vienna's Cato." Kürnberger elevated the feuilleton, which had been considered the poor cousin of the serious essay, by infusing it with political and cultural criticism. Feuilletons, which were printed "unter dem Strich" (below the line)--that is, separated from the serious news and editorials--were generally considered light-weight, even frivolous, and were regarded by many readers as a pleasant respite from the frequently disturbing news accounts. Kürnberger used the feuilleton as a vehicle to express his liberal views and to oppose the repressive tendencies of the Austrian government and the Catholic church. He subverted this heretofore benign genre with masterly skill and turned it into a political weapon while maintaining a satirical guise to distract the powerful censors...