In this study, we use the development of emotions in German-language poetry, drama, and prose from 1850 to 1920 to informally test three hypotheses about literature: (1) Literature is a unified field, and therefore genres develop similarly at the same time. (2) The development of literature is led by one genre while the others follow. (3) The three main genres have very different developments without any relation to each other. We look at the development of emotions in these genres in general, and then at more fine-grained levels: polarity, six groups of emotions, and the group of love emotions. In the end, our data cannot confirm any of these hypotheses, but do show a closer relationship between poetry and prose, while drama shows a very distinct development. Only in some specific cases, such as the representation of lust and of love, can we see a closer relationship between the genres in general.