On the lingual level, the thematization of languages and the staging of multilingualism can be understood as positionings in the interlingual licensing realm. In addition to Frank Wedekind (Pandora’s Box), the chapter focuses primarily on Thomas Mann (Magic Mountain), and on Uwe Johnson (Anniversaries). Explicit multilingualism opens up the text but, on the real level of dissemination, it makes its interlingual reception more difficult. This paradox affects literature more heavily than it does audiovisual artifacts like films or plays, which can be subtitled. Multilingualism represents a risk from a publishing point of view, not only because it makes reading more difficult but also because it makes translation more difficult. Some authors, like Elias Canetti, use the latent form of multilingualism. By talking about languages and their multiplicity in a monolingual way, Canetti not only addresses different audiences but can also, unlike explicit multilingualism, be easily translated.