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Beyond Observation: Literature and Science in Kafka, Rilke, Mann and Musil

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Beyond Observation: Literature and Science in Kafka, Rilke, Mann and Musil City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 2009 Beyond Observation: Literature and Science in Kafka, Rilke, Mann and Musil Katya Ilina The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/2439 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] BEYOND OBSERVATION Literature and Science in Kafka, Rilke, Mann and Musil by Ekaterina Ilina A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Germanic Languages and Literatures in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The City University of New York 2009 © 2009 Ekaterina V. Ilina All Rights Reserved ii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Germanic Languages and Literatures in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Professor Paul Oppenheimer Chair of Examining Committee Date Professor Tamara S. Evans Date Executive Officer Professor Andre Aciman Professor Christa Spreizer Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii Abstract Beyond Observation: Literature and Science in Kafka, Rilke, Mann, and Musil by Ekaterina V. Ilina Advisor: Professor Paul Oppenheimer The relationship between science and literature is an expanding area of scholarly interest which remains underrepresented within the field of Germanistik . This dissertation will attempt to close the gap by focusing on the interactions between the selected works of Franz Kafka, Rainer Maria Rilke, Thomas Mann, and Robert Musil, and the scientific outlooks which began to emerge in the nineteenth century primarily by focusing on the concept of observation. Observation is a concept important for the period of my investigation because it signified a major shift in consciousness. The prior facile division into impartial experimenter and observed phenomenon, so characteristic of the empirical science of the nineteenth century, gave way to a world-picture in which observed phenomena were understood as no longer independent of one’s will but as to some extent at least contingent upon the observer’s position with respect to these phenomena, and goals, tools, and methods of investigation. A discussion of the problem of the relations between science and literature as a historically contingent phenomenon, in the introduction, precedes chapters delineating the connections of specific literary texts to the ideas of particular scientists. An example of such a pairing is the proposed exploration of Kafka’s short story “The Report to the Academy” in the light of Darwin’s treatment of the relationship between biological observer and specimen (the object of observation). Other scientists central to my study, iv and whose methods will also be treated in tandem with relevant literary works, are Ernst Mach, Sigmund Freud, and Albert Einstein. This interdisciplinary study will show in new detail that literary texts do not simply reflect the ideas, desires, and fears produced by science; instead that both the literature and science of the period under investigation are permeated by similar sets of underlying assumptions about the world and man’s place in it. v Acknowledgements This dissertation would not have been completed without the support of many people, some of whom must be mentioned here by name. I owe a debt of gratitude to my dissertation advisor Paul Oppenheimer for his insights, breadth of perspective, and his tireless reading through all of my drafts line by line. His generous and insightful council helped me to improve the content of this dissertation, to root out some unfortunate writing choices, and to bring it to its completion. I also would also like to thank the other members of my committee. I thank Christa Spreizer whose attention to detail and advice during the final stages of this dissertation were deeply appreciated. Andre Aciman asked many provocative questions challenging the validity of my choices and contributing to the quality of this project. I thank him for making specific suggestions regarding the style. I sincerely thank Tamara Evans whose wisdom, generosity, and faith helped me navigate my graduate school journey. She was a mentor throughout my years at the Graduate Center, and without her patience and support the isolating task of writing a dissertation would be impossible. There were many moments when her words sounded in my ears long after our conversations ended, and this might have been a much more generous form of support than I received otherwise. A very heartfelt thank you must go to Burton Pike who was a source of inspiration in many of our graduate seminars, and whose comments, suggestions, and practical advice at the dissertation writing seminar made this task seem less daunting. I also thank the late Rolf Kieser for teaching me how to approach a long writing project from the basics. vi I received funding through Lane Cooper Dissertation Fellowship, given each year by the CUNY Academy for the Humanities and Sciences, which significantly eased my financial burden and expedited my research. Last, but by no means, least I owe the greatest thanks to my family. I thank first of all my parents for constantly reminding me to believe in myself, and especially my mom for her selfless help and encouragement during the crucial stages of writing. You more than anything else made this possible. I thank my husband Larry, whose support, love, and encouragement helped me go on: thank you for so generously sharing me with a manuscript for several years. My twins Aidan and Ashleigh, who don’t know life without this dissertation yet, are the source of unconditional happiness and fulfillment. They are also one of the best things that ever happened to my self-discipline, teaching me to use every hour wisely. Finally, I lovingly dedicate this dissertation to my grandmother, who did not live to see it finished but who never doubted that I would. Her courage, good sense of humor, and unwavering optimism continue to inspire. vii Table of Contents List of Abbreviations viii List of Illustrations ix Chapter One: Introduction 1 Observation Re-examined Chapter Two: 46 Scientific Objectivity in Kafka’s “A Report to an Academy” and in several of Darwin’s Works Chapter Three : 85 A New Vision in Rilke’s Die Aufzeichnungen des Malte Laurids Brigge and Freud’s „Der Dichter und das Phantasieren“ Chapter Four: 131 The Concept of Space-time as Dependent on the Observer in Thomas Mann’s Der Zauberberg and Einstein’s Theory of Relativity Chapter Five: 181 Reality as a System of Functional Relationships in Works of Robert Musil and Ernst Mach Chapter Six: Conclusion 233 What Do We See When We Observe? Notes 255 Bibliography 269 viii List of Abbreviations MLB Rilke, Rainer Maria. Die Aufzeichnungen des Malte Laurids Brigge . Stuttgart: Reclam, 1997. DMoE Musil, Robert. Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften . Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowolt, 1981. MwQ Musil, Robert. The Man Without Qualities . Trans. Sophie Wilkins and Burton Pike. New York: Knopf, 1996. dZB Mann, Thomas. Der Zauberberg . Stockholm: Fischer, 1939. TMM Mann, Thomas. The Magic Mountain . Trans. John E. Woods. New York: Vintage Books, 1996. ix List of Illustrations Page 67 Fig. 1 Drawing by Kafka of acrobats, 1909 (Hartmut Binder Archive). 78 Fig. 2 “Chimpanzee disappointed and sulky. Drawn from life by Mr. Wood” Fig.18 from “The Expression of the Emotions,” From So Simple A Beginning. (New York: Norton, 2006) 1340. 117 Fig. 3 Rodin, “The Cathedral,” 1908. 167 Fig. 5. X ray photograph of the hand of Bertha Röntgen made by her husband on December 22, 1895. Robert Nitske. The Life of Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, Discoverer of the X Ray. (Tuscon: The U of Arizona P, 1971) 6. 211 Fig. 6 A Self-Portrait by Mach. The Analysis of Sensations. (New York: Dover, 1959) 19. x Chapter One: Introduction Observation Re-Examined Alles, was wir sehen, könnte auch anders sein. Alles, was wir überhaupt beschreiben können, könnte auch anders sein. Es gibt keine Ordnung der Dinge a priori. i Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus , Ludwig Wittgenstein This dissertation, focusing on the concept of observation, will explore the relationship between German literary works and the changing scientific outlook at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries. I propose to investigate the affinities of literary texts with scientific views of the time, as well as the resistance to science, and to consider how these are reflected in their narrative structures and techniques, their types of fictional characters, their themes, and the values which they affirm or question. Observation is a concept important to the period of my investigation chiefly because it signifies a major change in consciousness and it therefore allows me to explore revealing connections between modern science and literature. According to some historians of science as well as cultural critics (Holton, Everdell, and Kuhn), what one observes depends to a large extent on one’s previous visual-conceptual experience: past assumptions are a starting point for the process of understanding. Such prior training is a prerequisite of perception, and it provides a framework, which the observer may impose upon the complexity of the natural world. During the period on which I focus, observation began to be thought of as an interpretive and reflexive process--rather than as a way to access nature “directly”--which is always selective and which may require a specific problem, point of view, and object. For purposes of discussion, observation will i Whatever we see could be other than it is. Whatever we can describe at all could be other than it is.
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