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Mass Culture and Individuality in Hermann Broch’S Late Works View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Sunderland University Institutional Repository MASS CULTURE AND INDIVIDUALITY IN HERMANN BROCH’S LATE WORKS JANET PEARSON A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Sunderland for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. APRIL 2015 i Abstract Mass Culture and Individuality in Hermann Broch’s Late Works Janet Pearson This thesis explores Hermann Broch’s thought regarding the relationship between the individual and the mass, in an age of mass-culture. Broch, an Austrian-Jewish intellectual, who emigrated to America in 1938, discussed ideas upon this theme in theoretical essays, including a theory of mass hysteria (Massenwahntheorie) as well as his fictional The Death of Virgil (Der Tod des Vergil). In the study, the analysis of his theoretical work shows that Broch’s views regarding the masses differ from those of other theorists contemporary to him (Le Bon, Freud and Canetti), in that they are closely linked to his theory of value. It also establishes that his ideas about individuality reach back to the earliest philosophers, and that he perceived this dimension of human existence to be changing, through the development of ‘ego- consciousness’. Building upon this, the textual analysis of the Virgil demonstrates that Broch finds similarities between his own era and the age of Augustus, but also indicates that the concept of individuality portrayed in the work goes beyond that discussed in his theoretical writing and points towards a new role for art in the post-industrial age. Consideration is given to Broch’s interest in Natural Philosophy (and developments thereof into the natural sciences), his contemplation of ideas about the Logos and myth, and analysis of the narrative technique. This aspect of the thesis presents a new reading of the Virgil. The study also gives some insight into the Modernist dimension of his thought. The thesis concludes with consideration as to how Broch’s ideas about individuality might relate to his concept of mass society. ii Acknowledgements I wish to express great thanks to my Director of Studies, Dr. Fritz Wefelmeyer, for his support and enthusiasm in the production of this thesis. Thanks also to co-supervisor Dr. Geoffrey Nash for his interest and encouragement. Thanks to Dr. Ursula Schierle for reading and commenting upon my drafts. Thanks to my husband Stephen, my daughter Sophia and my son Christopher for allowing me the time and space to work on this research project. Contents Page Abstract i Acknowledgements ii References and quotations v List of abbreviations vi 1. Introduction to thesis 1 Part One. Some theoretical considerations of mass culture and individuality: Broch as a theorist of the masses 2. Introduction to Part One 12 iii 3. Philosophical influences upon Broch’s thought: Nietzsche, Simmel, 20 Weber and Scheler, and Broch’s theory of disintegration of value 4. Comparison of Broch’s ideas regarding mass hysteria and the 36 individual, with the thought of Le Bon, Freud and Canetti 5. Some observations upon Broch’s engagement with ideas 63 about the individual and individuality 6. Discussion of the role of ‘negative universalism’ in Broch’s 85 thought. Part Two. Analysis of the relationship between individual and mass in the Virgil novel, leading to understanding of Broch’s concept of individuality 7. Introduction to Part Two 98 8. From the theoretical and philosophical basis to the depiction of the 105 masses and the individual in Broch’s Virgil novel. 9. Broch and Natural Classical Philosophy: The Use of the Elements 121 in the Virgil work 10. Analysis of the Narrative Technique in the Virgil work 139 11. Analysis of Virgil’s metamorphosis as a means of understanding 171 iv Broch’s concept of individuality a. The state of being in the ‘Water’ chapter. b. Transformation in the ‘Fire’ chapter. c. The role of Lysanias in Virgil’s transformation. d. The state of being in the‘Earth’ chapter. 12. a. Approaching individuality: an analysis of the ‘Ether’ chapter. 199 b. Further remarks upon how Virgil is changed in the ‘Ether’ chapter 13. Some concluding remarks about Broch’s idea of individuality, 256 following the reading of the Virgil novel, and evaluation of his overall achievement in this work 14. Some observations upon how Broch’s concept of individuality 270 might relate to his ideas regarding mass culture Bibliography 280 v References and quotations In this study, references to Broch’s novel The Death of Virgil refer to the following edition, unless otherwise stated: Broch, Hermann, (trans. Untermeyer, Jean Starr) (1995) The Death of Virgil. New York: Random House. References to this work are made in-text, through the abbreviation ‘DV’, followed by the appropriate page number, in parentheses. eg. (DV 26). References to the corresponding German text, Der Tod des Vergil, and Broch’s other works in German, which appear within the ‘Kommentierte Werkausgabe’, edited by Paul Michael Lützeler and published by Suhrkamp, are indicated through the abbreviations listed below. (See Bibliography for full bibliographic details.) The abbreviation for the appropriate work, followed by the page number in parentheses, appears in the footnote for each quotation. eg. KW13/3 62. Unless stated otherwise, translations are my own. In general, quotations from the Virgil work are from the English translation only, though the German text is also provided in footnotes at points where it may clarify meaning. Page reference to the corresponding German text is given in all instances. Unless stated otherwise, all references to Virgil/Vergil refer to Broch’s protagonist, rather than the historical poet. It should be noted that in Broch’s original German drafts, the spelling ‘Vergil’ is employed, whereas Untermeyer’s translation uses the traditional English spelling, ‘Virgil.’1 I have adhered to the conventions of both Broch and his translator, using ‘Virgil’ in my discussion of the text in general, and in quotations from the English translation, but employing ‘Vergil’ in quotations from the German text. Details of works cited by other authors are given in the footnotes and are not listed in the Bibliography. 1 C. Martindale (1997) The Cambridge Companion to Virgil Cambridge; New York; Melbourne: Cambridge Univ. Press, p. 7. See also K.W. Gransden (1990) Virgil: “The Aeneid”. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, p. 8. vi List of Abbreviations The following abbreviations are used to signify Broch’s works: KW 1 Die Schlafwandler. KW 2 Die Unbekannte Große. KW 3 Die Verzauberung. KW 4 Der Tod des Vergil. KW 5 Die Schuldlosen. KW 6 Novellen. Prosa Fragmenten. KW 7 Dramen. KW 8 Gedichte. KW 9/1 Schriften zur Literatur: 1 Kritik. KW 9/2 Schriften zur Literatur: 2 Theorie. KW 10/1 Philosophische Schriften 1: Kritik. KW 10/2 Philosophische Schriften 2:Theorie. KW 11 Politische Schriften. KW 12 Die Massenwahntheorie. Beiträge zu einer Psychologie der Politik. KW 13/1 Briefe 1. KW 13/2 Briefe 2. KW 13/3 Briefe 3. 1 1. Introduction to thesis Despite being nominated for the 1950 Nobel Prize in Literature, the work of Hermann Broch (1886-1951) remains little known beyond the confines of German Studies. His thought is worthy of our attention, however, for he engaged closely with ideas regarding the individual in an age of mass culture.1 He was not only concerned with the rapidly expanding mass culture that had begun to emerge in late nineteenth century Europe, but also with the broader picture, the overall human condition in modernity. This theme is just as relevant in twenty-first century society as it was in the mid-twentieth century. As our lifestyles seem to be accelerating into an increasingly fragmented, crisis-ridden and often authoritarian world, the question of how (or whether) a positive mass society might be achieved in the West continues. Broch, an Austrian-Jewish intellectual, had first-hand experience of the Nazi regime before he emigrated to America in 1938. He entered into discussion with a wide range of thinkers both in Europe and the United States, and during his time in exile, became politically active and continued to write and comment upon the impact of National Socialism.2 His literary output ranges from philosophical and theoretical essays, to fiction, drama, and poetry, and includes theories of mass psychology and human rights. He also studied mathematics and followed developments in modern physics. Although his fiction, and a small collection of essays have been published in translation, and interest in his work is beginning to grow world-wide, much of the secondary literature remains in German. The first justification for conducting this research project, therefore, is to contribute to critique of his thought, in English. The task is to illuminate Broch’s ideas regarding the 1 I employ the term ‘mass culture’ to refer to the culture that prevails within a mass society. My definition of the term is not restricted to culture in late modernity. 2 There are numerous references to Hitler in Broch’s correspondence. See KW13/1; KW13/2; KW13/3. See also KW9/2 177-201, ‘Geist und Zeitgeist’. This essay is published in English translation, as ‘The Spirit in an Unspiritual Age’, in H. Broch (trans., ed., intro. Hargraves, J.) (2003) Geist and Zeitgeist: Six Essays by Hermann Broch. New York: Counterpoint, pp. 41-64. During his time in exile, Broch worked with intellectuals including Thomas Mann, Giuseppe Antonio Borgese, Herbert Agar and Alvin Johnson, on a project titled The City of Man: A Declaration on World Democracy, which aimed to oppose Hitler’s concept of global terror with 2 a programme for international democracy. See P.M. Lützeler (trans. Furness, J.) (1987) Hermann Broch: A Biography.
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