DOCSLIB.ORG

Lyric Poetry, Conservative Poetics, and the Rise of Fascism

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Lyric Poetry, Conservative Poetics, and the Rise of Fascism LYRIC POETRY, CONSERVATIVE POETICS, AND THE RISE OF FASCISM by CHET LISIECKI A DISSERTATION Presented to the Department of Comparative Literature and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 2014! DISSERTATION APPROVAL PAGE Student: Chet Lisiecki Title: Lyric Poetry, Conservative Poetics, and the Rise of Fascism This dissertation has been accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in the Department of Comparative Literature by: Jeffrey Librett Chairperson Kenneth Calhoon Core Member Forest Pyle Core Member Martin Klebes Core Member David Luebke Institutional Representative and J. Andrew Berglund Dean of the Graduate School Original approval signatures are on file with the University of Oregon Graduate School. Degree awarded September 2014 ! ii © 2014 Chet Lisiecki “Lyric Poetry, Conservative Poetics, and the Rise of Fascism” by Chet Lisiecki is licensed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International Public License. To view a copy of this license, please visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ! iii DISSERTATION ABSTRACT Chet Lisiecki Doctor of Philosophy Department of Comparative Literature September 2014 Title: Lyric Poetry, Conservative Poetics, and the Rise of Fascism As fascist movements took hold across Europe in the 1920s and 1930s, there emerged a body of lyric poetry concerned with revolution, authority, heroism, sacrifice, community, heritage, and national identity. While the Nazi rise to power saw the deception, persecution, and brutalization of conservatives both in the Reichstag and in the streets, these themes resonated with fascists and conservatives alike, particularly in Germany. Whether they welcomed the new regime out of fear or opportunism, many conservative beneficiaries of National Socialism shared, and celebrated in poetry, the same ideological principles as the fascists. Such thematic continuities have made it seem as though certain conservative writers, including T. S. Eliot, Stefan George, and Hugo von Hofmannsthal, were proto- fascist, their work cohering around criteria consonant with fascist ideology. My dissertation, however, emphasizes the limits of such cohesion, arguing that fascist poetry rejects, whereas conservative poetry affirms, the possibility of indeterminacy and inadequacy. While the fascist poem blindly believes it can effect material political change, the conservative poem affirms the failure of its thematic content to correspond entirely to material political reality. It displays neither pure political commitment nor aesthetic autonomy, suspending these categories in an unresolved tension. Paul de Man’s work on allegory hinges on identifying a reading practice that ! iv addresses this space between political commitment and aesthetic autonomy. His tendency to forget the immanence of history, however, is problematic in the context of fascism. Considering rhetorical formalism alongside dialectical materialism, in particular Adorno’s essay “Lyric Poetry and Society,” allows for a more rounded and ethical methodological approach. The poetic dramatization of the very indeterminacy that historically constituted conservative politics in late-Weimar Germany both distinguishes the conservative from the fascist poem while also accounting for its complicity. Fascism necessitated widespread and wild enthusiasm, but it also succeeded through the (unintentional) proliferation of political indifference as registered, for example, by the popularity of entertainment literature. While the work of certain conservative high modernists reflected critically on its own failures, such indeterminacy nonetheless resembles the failure to politically commit oneself against institutionalized violence and systematic oppression. ! v CURRICULUM VITAE NAME OF AUTHOR: Chet Lisiecki GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED: University of Oregon, Eugene Colorado College, Colorado Springs DEGREES AWARDED: Doctor of Philosophy, Comparative Literature, 2014, University of Oregon Bachelor of Arts, Comparative Literature with another discipline: Psychology, 2007, Colorado College AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST: German Literature and Philosophy Anglo-American Poetry and Poetics Aesthetics and Politics Literary Theory Comparative Modernisms PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Graduate Teaching Fellow, University of Oregon, 2007-2014 GRANTS, AWARDS, AND HONORS: Graduate Dissertation Fellowship, “Lyric Poetry, Conservative Poetics, and the Rise of Fascism,” Oregon Humanities Center, 2013 Summer Writing Fellowship, “‘Die gesetze des geistigen und des politischen’: Allegories of Interpretation in Stefan George’s Political Poetry,” Department of Comparative Literature, University of Oregon, 2013 Beall Educational Opportunity Award, “‘Der Dichter als Führer’: The Political Stakes of Creative Writing During the Rise of National Socialism,” Department of Comparative Literature, 2013 Graduate Research Scholarship, “Poetry and Poetics of Nazi Germany,” German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), 2011 Phi Beta Kappa, Colorado College, 2007 ! vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the generous support of the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, which allowed me to conduct archival research throughout Germany, and Professor Gregor Streim, with whom I worked at the Freie Universität and whose guidance proved invaluable at the outset of this project. Likewise, I am grateful to the hospitable and accommodating staff at the Deutsches Literaturarchiv, the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, the Bundesarchiv, and the Universtitätsbibliothek at the Freie Universität, who made my time at each institution both pleasant and efficient, even, in one instance, after my reservation had been lost. And I am of course thankful for the archives and libraries themselves, which have preserved incredibly important documents that have until very recently gone unobserved. I would also like to express my appreciation to the Oregon Humanities Center, which provided me with much needed relief from my duties as a GTF to focus entirely on my research. The Department of Comparative Literature, in particular Professors Lisa Freinkel and Ken Calhoon, provided invaluable guidance and support from the first day I stepped foot in Villard Hall. Professor Jeffrey Librett, who introduced me to Stefan George, has never let me forget the big picture, both in terms of my scholarship and my career. Professor Tres Pyle taught me everything I know about Paul de Man, and his passion for what we do will forever remain an inspiration. My experience working with Professor Martin Klebes has drastically improved my writing and argumentation, and I am extremely grateful for the time he spent helping me get to Germany. Professor David Luebke has always asked the right questions, particularly those that someone with formalist tendencies like myself might overlook. Once again, thank you to Professor Ken ! vii Calhoon for listening, for believing in the project, and for reminding me why I got into this business in the first place. Thank you also to Professors Corinne Schreiner, Re Evitt, and Bill Davis, who introduced me to comparative literature, sparked my critical imagination, and encouraged me to go for it. Thank you to Cynthia Stockwell, for never letting me miss a deadline or misspell my name, and to my very many colleagues over the years, whose names are too many to list, for making Eugene home. I am especially grateful to Jamie Richards and Emily McGinn, whose company helped me survive those long days and nights in the office. One day we’ll be eating swurritos on our Portuguese vineyard. Thank you also to Amanda Cornwall for the hugs, Jacob Barto for the laughs, and my cohort for their enduring solidarity. Finally, this accomplishment would never have been possible without the love and support of my family, my inimitable best friend Rachel Feder, and partner Craig Schinaman, whose patience continues to astound me. ! viii To Mom, Dad, Kane, and G.G. ! ix TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION: WHY “FASCIST LITERARY MODERNISM” NOW? ................ 1 II. “DIE GESETZE DES GEISTIGEN UND DES POLITISCHEN”: ALLEGORIES OF INTERPRETATION IN STEFAN GEORGE’S POLITICAL POETRY ........................... 20 III. “RESIGN, RESIGN, RESIGN”: T. S. ELIOT AND THE AFFIRMATION OF FAILURE ................................................................................................................................ 54 IV. “IN EINES GEDICHTET WERDEN”: THE CONSERVATIVE REVOLUTION, LITERATURE, AND THE NONPOLITICAL .................................................................. 115 V. THE OPPORTUNISM OF FASCIST LITERARY AESTHETICS AND CULTURAL POLICY .................................................................................................................................. 165 VI. CONCLUSION: THE RESISTANCE OF SIMULATION: FRAGMENTATION AND TOTALITY IN FRIEDRICH GEORG JUENGER’S “DER MOHN” .................... 217 APPENDIX: ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................... 231 REFERENCES CITED .......................................................................................................... 232 ! x CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION: WHY “FASCIST LITERARY MODERNISM” NOW? In the introduction to the 1993 book Fascist Modernism: Aesthetics, Politics, and the Avant-Garde, Andrew Hewitt poses the question, “why fascist modernism?” This question seems even more pressing
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Reactionary Postmodernism? Neoliberalism, Multiculturalism, the Internet, and the Ideology of the New Far Right in Germany
    University of Vermont ScholarWorks @ UVM UVM Honors College Senior Theses Undergraduate Theses 2018 Reactionary Postmodernism? Neoliberalism, Multiculturalism, the Internet, and the Ideology of the New Far Right in Germany William Peter Fitz University of Vermont Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses Recommended Citation Fitz, William Peter, "Reactionary Postmodernism? Neoliberalism, Multiculturalism, the Internet, and the Ideology of the New Far Right in Germany" (2018). UVM Honors College Senior Theses. 275. https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses/275 This Honors College Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Undergraduate Theses at ScholarWorks @ UVM. It has been accepted for inclusion in UVM Honors College Senior Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ UVM. For more information, please contact [email protected]. REACTIONARY POSTMODERNISM? NEOLIBERALISM, MULTICULTURALISM, THE INTERNET, AND THE IDEOLOGY OF THE NEW FAR RIGHT IN GERMANY A Thesis Presented by William Peter Fitz to The Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of The University of Vermont In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements For the Degree of Bachelor of Arts In European Studies with Honors December 2018 Defense Date: December 4th, 2018 Thesis Committee: Alan E. Steinweis, Ph.D., Advisor Susanna Schrafstetter, Ph.D., Chairperson Adriana Borra, M.A. Table of Contents Introduction 1 Chapter One: Neoliberalism and Xenophobia 17 Chapter Two: Multiculturalism and Cultural Identity 52 Chapter Three: The Philosophy of the New Right 84 Chapter Four: The Internet and Meme Warfare 116 Conclusion 149 Bibliography 166 1 “Perhaps one will view the rise of the Alternative for Germany in the foreseeable future as inevitable, as a portent for major changes, one that is as necessary as it was predictable.
    [Show full text]
  • Structure and Gestalt Linguistic & Literary Studies in Eastern Europe (Llsee)
    STRUCTURE AND GESTALT LINGUISTIC & LITERARY STUDIES IN EASTERN EUROPE (LLSEE) The emphasis of this scholarly series is on recent developments in Linguistic and Literary Research in Eastern Europe; it includes analyses, translations and syntheses of current research as well as studies in the history of linguistic and literary scholarship. Founding Editor: John Odmark t Volume 7 edited by Barry Smith Structure and Gestalt: Philosophy and literature in Austria-Hungary and her successor states STRUCTURE AND GESTALT : Philosophy and Literature in Austria-Hungary and her successor states edited by BARRY SMITH University of Manchester AMSTERDAM / JOHN BENJAMINS B.V. 1981 ©Copyright 1981 — John Benjamins B.V. ISSN 0165 7712 / ISBN 90 272 1510 3 No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm or any other means, without written permission from the publisher. PREFACE The majority of the papers in the present volume were presented at, or prepared in conjunction with, meetings of the Seminar for Austro-German Philosophy, a group of philosophers interested in the work of Brentano and Husserl and of the various thinkers who fell under their influence. One long-standing concern of the Seminar has been to trace the origins of present-day structuralism and related move­ ments in the thought of nineteenth-century central Europe. This task has been admirably performed by Elmar Holenstein for the specific connections between Husserl and Jakobson and the Moscow and Prague Linguistic Circles (see the bibliography to Holenstein's paper below). But the (broadly) structuralist currents exhibited in, for example, the work of Meinong's Grazer Schule and, before that, in the writings of Herbart, Bolzano and Zimmermann, in the early psycho­ logical writings of Ehrenfels, or in the works of Austrian economists and political theorists, art historians and novelists, have remained almost wholly unexplored.
    [Show full text]
  • Post-War English Literature 1945-1990
    Post-War English Literature 1945-1990 Sara Martín Alegre P08/04540/02135 © FUOC • P08/04540/02135 Post-War English Literature 1945-1990 Index Introduction............................................................................................... 5 Objectives..................................................................................................... 7 1. Literature 1945-1990: cultural context........................................ 9 1.1. The book market in Britain ........................................................ 9 1.2. The relationship between Literature and the universities .......... 10 1.3. Adaptations of literary works for television and the cinema ...... 11 1.4. The minorities in English Literature: women and post-colonial writers .................................................................... 12 2. The English Novel 1945-1990.......................................................... 14 2.1. Traditionalism: between the past and the present ..................... 15 2.2. Fantasy, realism and experimentalism ........................................ 16 2.3. The post-modern novel .............................................................. 18 3. Drama in England 1945-1990......................................................... 21 3.1. West End theatre and the new English drama ........................... 21 3.2. Absurdist drama and social and political drama ........................ 22 3.3. New theatre companies and the Arts Council ............................ 23 3.4. Theatre from the mid-1960s onwards .......................................
    [Show full text]
  • Criticism of “Fascist Nostalgia” in the Political Thought of the New Right
    ACTA UNIVERSITATIS WRATISLAVIENSIS No 3866 Studia nad Autorytaryzmem i Totalitaryzmem 40, nr 3 Wrocław 2018 DOI: 10.19195/2300-7249.40.3.6 JOANNA SONDEL-CEDARMAS ORCID: 0000-0002-3037-9264 Uniwersytet Jagielloński Criticism of “fascist nostalgia” in the political thought of the New Right The seizure of power by the National Liberation Committee on 25th April, 1945 and the establishment of the republic on 2nd June, 1946 constituted the symbolic end to Mussolini’s dictatorship that had lasted for more than 20 years. However, it emerged relatively early that fascism was not a defi nitively closed chapter in the political and social life of Italy. As early as June of 1946, after the announcement of a presidential decree granting amnesty for crimes committed during the time of the Nazi-Fascist occupation between 1943 and 1945, the country saw a withdrawal from policies repressive towards fascists.1 Likewise, the national reconciliation policy gradually implemented in the second half of the 1940s by the government of Alcide De Gasperi, aiming at pacifying the nation and fostering the urgent re- building of the institution of the state, contributed to the emergence of ambivalent approaches towards Mussolini’s regime. On the one hand, Italy consequently tried to build its institutional and political order in clear opposition towards fascism, as exemplifi ed, among others, by a clause in the Constitution of 1947 that forbade the establishment of any form of fascist party, as well as the law passed on 20th June, 1 Conducted directly after the end of WW II, the epurazione action (purifi cation) that aimed at uprooting fascism, was discontinued on 22nd June 1946, when a decree of president Enrico De Nicola granting amnesty for crimes committed during the Nazi-Fascist occupation of Italy between 1943–1945 was implemented.
    [Show full text]
  • Poetry That Expresses Thoughts and Emotions of a Single Speaker
    Type of writing done in verse form that Poetry uses figures of speech designed to appeal to emotions and imagination Poetry that expresses Lyric Poetry thoughts and emotions of a single speaker Poetry that tells a story Narrative Poetry Form and Structure Poem that is song-like; usually focuses Ballad on topics such as romance, adventure, and death; and tells a story Sonnet 14 line lyric poem A mourning poem; written for Elegy someone who has died Lyric poem on a serious subject; usually Ode addressed to one person or thing; often celebrates something a repeated sound, word, Refrain phrase, line, or group of lines Japanese 3 lined poem with 5 Haiku syllables in lines 1 and 3 and 7 syllables in line 2 Couplet two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme Triplets Three lined stanza Quatrains 4 line stanzas poetry that doesn’t have a set Free Verse rhyme scheme or meter A very long narrative poem that tells of Epic the life and journeys of a hero A group of consecutive lines in a Stanza poem that forms a single unit; like paragraphs Figurative Language comparison between two unlike Simile things, using a word such as like, as, than, or resembles comparison between two unlike things that does not use a Metaphor connecting word a group of words not meant to Idiom be taken literally overstating something, usually Hyperbole for the purpose of creating a comic effect giving human characteristics to Personification an object or an animal contradictory elements (two Oxymoron things that do not belong together) use of language that appeals to Imagery
    [Show full text]
  • FIGHT BACK the INVADERS 1.0.1 Italian Right Wing Tentacles on the Struggle for Animals and Environment INDEX Intro
    FIGHT BACK THE INVADERS 1.0.1 Italian right wing tentacles on the struggle for animals and environment INDEX Intro ......................................................................................................... pag. 3 ANARCHO-NATIONALISTS....................................................................... pag. 5 RESISTENZA NAZIONALE and AUTONOMI NAZIONALISTI National Resistance and Autonomous Nationalist ....................................... pag. 6 I LUPI DANNO LA ZAMPA Wolves landing the paw .............................................................................. pag. 7 MASSIMO TURCI ..................................................................................... pag. 10 ROBERTA CAPOTOSTI ............................................................................ pag. 11 MICHELA VITTORIA BRAMBILLA ............................................................ pag. 12 IL ROSSOBRUNISMO Redbrownism ............................................................................................ pag. 13 LA FORESTA CHE AVANZA The forrest moving forward .................. pag. 20 MEMENTO NATURAE ........ ................. pag. 23 100% ANIMALISTI AND DERIVATES ..... pag. 26 RECOGNIZED AND ISOLATED in the No Muos movement ........................ pag. 31 PAE - European Animal-rights Party ....... pag. 35 Sources ................................................ pag. 39 2 ANTISPEFA – Antispeciecists Antifa- In this first work, we start exami- scist Milan wants to be a counter- ning some of these movements, information archive
    [Show full text]
  • Scattered Thoughts on Trauma and Memory*
    Scattered thoughts on trauma and memory* ** Paolo Giuganino Abstract. This paper examines, from a personal and clinician's perspective, the interrelation between trauma and memory. The author recalls his autobiographical memories and experiences on this two concepts by linking them to other authors thoughts. On the theme of trauma, the author underlines how the Holocaust- Shoah has been the trauma par excellence of the twentieth century by quoting several writing starting from Rudolf Höss’s memoirs, Nazi lieutenant colonel of Auschwitz, to the same book’s foreword written by Primo Levi, as well as many other authors such as Vasilij Grossman and Amos Oz. The author stresses the distortion of German language operated by Nazism and highlights the role played by the occult, mythological and mystical traditions in structuring the Third Reich,particularly in the SS organization system and pursuit for a pure “Aryan race”. Moreover, the author highlights how Ferenczi's contributions added to the developments of the concept of trauma through Luis Martin-Cabré exploration and detailed study of the author’s psychoanalytic thought. Keywords: Trauma, memory, testimony, Holocaust, Shoah, survivors, state violence, forgiveness, Höss, Primo Levi, Karl Jaspers, Martin Heidegger, Vasilij Grossman, Amos Oz, Ferenczi, Freud, Luis-Martin Cabré. In memory of Gino Giuganino (1913-1949). A mountaineer and partisan from Turin. A righteous of the Italian Jewish community and honoured with a gold medal for having helped many victims of persecution to cross over into Switzerland saving them from certain death. To the Stuck N. 174517, i.e. Primo Levi To: «Paola Pakitz / Cantante de Operetta / Fja de Arone / De el ghetto de Cracovia /Fatta savon / Per ordine del Fuhrer / Morta a Mauthausen» (Carolus L.
    [Show full text]
  • Local Expellee Monuments and the Contestation of German Postwar Memory
    To Our Dead: Local Expellee Monuments and the Contestation of German Postwar Memory by Jeffrey P. Luppes A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Germanic Languages and Literatures) in The University of Michigan 2010 Doctoral Committee: Professor Andrei S. Markovits, Chair Professor Geoff Eley Associate Professor Julia C. Hell Associate Professor Johannes von Moltke © Jeffrey P. Luppes 2010 To My Parents ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Writing a dissertation is a long, arduous, and often lonely exercise. Fortunately, I have had unbelievable support from many people. First and foremost, I would like to thank my advisor and dissertation committee chair, Andrei S. Markovits. Andy has played the largest role in my development as a scholar. In fact, his seminal works on German politics, German history, collective memory, anti-Americanism, and sports influenced me intellectually even before I arrived in Ann Arbor. The opportunity to learn from and work with him was the main reason I wanted to attend the University of Michigan. The decision to come here has paid off immeasurably. Andy has always pushed me to do my best and has been a huge inspiration—both professionally and personally—from the start. His motivational skills and dedication to his students are unmatched. Twice, he gave me the opportunity to assist in the teaching of his very popular undergraduate course on sports and society. He was also always quick to provide recommendation letters and signatures for my many fellowship applications. Most importantly, Andy helped me rethink, re-work, and revise this dissertation at a crucial point.
    [Show full text]
  • Identitarian Movement
    Identitarian movement The identitarian movement (otherwise known as Identitarianism) is a European and North American[2][3][4][5] white nationalist[5][6][7] movement originating in France. The identitarians began as a youth movement deriving from the French Nouvelle Droite (New Right) Génération Identitaire and the anti-Zionist and National Bolshevik Unité Radicale. Although initially the youth wing of the anti- immigration and nativist Bloc Identitaire, it has taken on its own identity and is largely classified as a separate entity altogether.[8] The movement is a part of the counter-jihad movement,[9] with many in it believing in the white genocide conspiracy theory.[10][11] It also supports the concept of a "Europe of 100 flags".[12] The movement has also been described as being a part of the global alt-right.[13][14][15] Lambda, the symbol of the Identitarian movement; intended to commemorate the Battle of Thermopylae[1] Contents Geography In Europe In North America Links to violence and neo-Nazism References Further reading External links Geography In Europe The main Identitarian youth movement is Génération identitaire in France, a youth wing of the Bloc identitaire party. In Sweden, identitarianism has been promoted by a now inactive organisation Nordiska förbundet which initiated the online encyclopedia Metapedia.[16] It then mobilised a number of "independent activist groups" similar to their French counterparts, among them Reaktion Östergötland and Identitet Väst, who performed a number of political actions, marked by a certain
    [Show full text]
  • Dichter Für Das »Dritte Reich« Band 5
    Leseprobe Rolf Düsterberg (Hg.) Dichter für das »Dritte Reich« Band 5 Biografische Studien zum Verhältnis von Literatur und Ideologie 10 Autorenporträts und eine Skizze über die Deutsche Akademie für Bildung und Kultur AISTHESIS VERLAG Bielefeld 2020 Abbildung auf dem Umschlag: Schaufenster einer Buchhandlung in Berlin, in dem einschlägige, propagan- distische Nazi-Literatur ausgestellt wird, darunter Mein Kampf von Adolf Hitler. Foto: Scherl (1933) Copyright: Scherl/Süddeutsche Zeitung Photo Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.d-nb.de abrufbar. © Aisthesis Verlag Bielefeld 2020 Postfach 10 04 27, D-33504 Bielefeld Satz: Germano Wallmann, www.geisterwort.de Druck: Majuskel Medienproduktion gmbh, Wetzlar Alle Rechte vorbehalten ISBN 978-3-8498-1536-3 www.aisthesis.de Inhaltsverzeichnis Einleitung .......................................................................................................... 7 Judith Schnittger Elisabeth Effenberger – die schwärmerische Jung-Ideologin ............ 25 Janina Joram Otto Erler – der Deutsch-Germane ...................................................... 57 Ann-Christine Lübker Annemarie Fromme-Bechem – die niederrheinische Heimatdichterin ......................................................................................... 85 Nikola Götzl Fritz Helke – der Multifunktionär des Jugendschrifttums ...............
    [Show full text]
  • Lyric Poetry and the Music of Words
    3 ᪏᪎ The Birth of Tragedy Lyric Poetry and the Music of Words he stylistic role of music in The Birth of Tragedy1 presupposes the Trelation Nietzsche had uncovered between “music and words” in his theory of meter and rhythm in ancient Greek.2 This is Nietzsche’s architectonically 3 quantitative, measured and timed, theory of words and music for his courses on rhythm and meter as well as his discussion of tragedy and music in his first book.4 A recollection of the meaning of the spirit of music also reviews the logical questions of metaphor and truth and invites a parallel with The Gay Science with regard to language and the alchemical art of love, likewise in terms of both music and science. This inquiry entails the purely philosophical questions of knowl- edge and truth yet the discussion to follow takes its point of departure from classical philology, reviewing what Nietzsche himself held to have been his most scientific “discovery” on the terms of his own discipline: a discovery never disputed by Nietzsche’s arch-critic, Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Möllendorff. Indeed, and although we have become ac- customed to view Nietzsche as the perfect embodiment of the academic outsider, his discovery is now taken as the standard in his field (so standard as to be received without fanfare or routine acknowledgment as such).5 What was that discovery? 37 38 Words in Blood, Like Flowers Music and Words: The Influence of Modern Culture I. On Modern Stress and the Language of Ancient Greece Nietzsche had argued against the accent-based or stressed theory of Greek prosody that was the “received view” in nineteenth-century philology.
    [Show full text]
  • Das Reich Der Seele Walther Rathenau’S Cultural Pessimism and Prussian Nationalism ~ Dieuwe Jan Beersma
    Das Reich der Seele Walther Rathenau’s Cultural Pessimism and Prussian Nationalism ~ Dieuwe Jan Beersma 16 juli 2020 Master Geschiedenis – Duitslandstudies, 11053259 First supervisor: dhr. dr. A.K. (Ansgar) Mohnkern Second supervisor: dhr. dr. H.J. (Hanco) Jürgens Abstract Every year the Rathenau Stiftung awards the Walther Rathenau-Preis to international politicians to spread Rathenau’s ideas of ‘democratic values, international understanding and tolerance’. This incorrect perception of Rathenau as a democrat and a liberal is likely to have originated from the historiography. Many historians have described Rathenau as ‘contradictory’, claiming that there was a clear and problematic distinction between Rathenau’s intellectual theories and ideas and his political and business career. Upon closer inspection, however, this interpretation of Rathenau’s persona seems to be fundamentally incorrect. This thesis reassesses Walther Rathenau’s legacy profoundly by defending the central argument: Walther Rathenau’s life and motivations can first and foremost be explained by his cultural pessimism and Prussian nationalism. The first part of the thesis discusses Rathenau’s intellectual ideas through an in-depth analysis of his intellectual work and the historiography on his work. Motivated by racial theory, Rathenau dreamed of a technocratic utopian German empire led by a carefully selected Prussian elite. He did not believe in the ‘power of a common Europe’, but in the power of a common German Europe. The second part of the thesis explicates how Rathenau’s career is not contradictory to, but actually very consistent with, his cultural pessimism and Prussian nationalism. Firstly, Rathenau saw the First World War as a chance to transform the economy and to make his Volksstaat a reality.
    [Show full text]