Notes to Literature. Volume 2

366 Pages·2016·4.27 MB·English

by  Adorno Teodor.

BIBIB
Contents
'
TRANSLATOR S PREFACE
'V
EDITORIAL REMARKS FROM THE GERMAN EDITION
v;;
III
Titles
3
Toward a Portrait of Thomas Mann
12
Bibliographical Musings
20
On an Imaginary Feuilleton
32
Morals and Criminality
40
The Curious Realist: On Siegfried Kracauer
58
Commitment
76
Presuppositions
95
Parataxis: On Holderlin's Late Poetry
109
;;
CONTENTS
IV
On the Classicism of Goethe's Iphigenie
153
On Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shqp
171
Stefan George
178
Charmed Language: On the Poetry of Rudolf Borchardt
193
The Handle, the Pot, and Early Experience
211
Introduction to Benjamin's Sch,.iften
220
Benjamin the Letter Writer
233
An Open Letter to Rolf Hochhuth
240
Is Art Lighthearted?
247
APPENDIX
Expressionism and Artistic Truthfulness:
Toward a Critique of Recent Literature
257
Plan: On the Drama by Fritz von Unruh
260
Frank Wedekind and His Genre Painting. Mf/.S;t
267
On the Legacy of Frank Wedekind
274
Physiological Romanticism
280
The Economic Crisis as Idyll
283
On the Use of Foreign Words
286
,,,
CONTENTS
Theses Upon Art and Religion Today
292
A Title
299
Unrat and Angel
303
On the Crisis of Literary Criticism
305
Remarks Occasioned by Wilhelm Lehmann's
"Bemerkungen zur Kunst des Gedichts"
309
On Proust
r. SUIrJ,,s," Wily
312
2. Wilhi,. Q Bw/di"g Grow
313
From a Letter to Thomas Mann on His Die Belroge"e
318
Benjamin's Ei"hah1lSlrIWe
322
On Benjamin's DeulJcne Me1lSCnn.. a Book of Letters
328
Reflections on the Volwliick
334
NOTES
337
INDEX
345
11111
Translator's Preface
In genae,lr I havfelo lowtehde
sameg uidse lhienraees i n my
transolfaN toteJi too Lnit erature I. Ih avter iteoed ff eacc to mpromise
ofr elaitneitgvrebei ttwye reenp resesnintgiicfinagnf aett uorfAe sd orsn o'
sytlsei,n hciess t yrleefl ehcitcsso nceopftl iaonng uaangrdee ,a idlaybi t
fora nA meriacuadni elnescstsee eipnte hdce u ltturraadli Atdioornnso
was conwcihetr.Hn eendc aesb, e ofreIh, a vree taiAndeodr npoa'rsa ­
graphainnodgft ehni isne vtreadn cdo mpselnetxe sntcreu ec.sIt huarve
triteord e flaetcl te asosmteo fh imse tapahnoudrnu ss upahlr aseivnegns
whetnh eryea miansa mbgiuoiuns Enagstl hiesyh iwnGe errem aann,d
I havoef tuesend the cEonggnloaiftt shefhe or eiwgonr d Aduoserdn o
inG ermainnr, e cioigtononf t hcee ntrroaloleff oreiwgonr disnh is
phlisoopohfyln agua.g e
Thivso ludmieff efrorsmt hfier sitnt haittc so ntaernlete sws esl l
knowinnE ngils,bh otihnt hafwet otfh ese ehsasvpaery esv iaopu­sly
peareidnt ransalnaidt nti hotanht e dyae lt,oa f rag reaetxetre nti nt han
thfier svto luwmiet,wh o rwkrs ititnGe enr m,ao nfntw eorwkhs iacrhe
untrtaenodsr rl ealatltiitvrleeela iydn A merai.Nc everthtehleeesess ­s,
saysc ontsaoimonef A dor'nmsoo shti gheallbyo raattriecdu loafht iiso ns
undrestdaignn ofl eirtaarnydpoe ticln aguag,ea ndI thitnhkew yi ll
proevxet revmaelluyta obEl neg lsipseihan-krge ard,see vetnh owseh o
knonwo G ermaWnh.e rAed orqnuoo tpeoest riynt hoer igGienraamln ,
asi nt hees saoynsH oldienrB,lo rcdhtaa,rn d Ge,Io hragvgeei vtehne
texitnGs e rmaann da cconmidpe athebmy r etlviaellyei rtaEln glish
tratnisolunasnsig,, i nta hsfie r svto lupmueib,hsl eEdn gltirsahn slations
VI
'
TRANSLATORS PREFACE
wheanav il.aF bolrpe roqseu otatIi hoanvsue se dp ubhleidEs nglish
tranisolnwahste arvea ilaanobdtl hee rwmiased mey o wnt ranosn.ls ati
Her,et oo, hIa vneo atc teadn e diatnohdra vfero t hmeo spta rt
as
rerfainfoermde xpnlianoigb scrueerfree nWcheesr.eh avIae d dceodm ­
menotrse xplanmaatetoirra,tyl h mea terhaibesae ln p laceeidt ihne r
bracwkietthsti htnee oxrti nf ootnoctleesa irdleyn tiafissae tbmlmegi n
formt hter alnastor.
I ama gaiidnne btteotd h Aen tiCocohlg leLe ibrasrtya affn,ed s pe­
ciaJlalMnyi l lefrorh ,e lwpi trheer fencaesws e,la lst o MAanrdk erson
fro caa ruelrf aedionftg h Ker acaeusyesa,tr o E riRki eselabnaKdca ht e
NomrenotfG ra1fl'i Street fron umerohuepslf uslu gegstioon"n Bsi blio­
graphMiucsailn tgoJs e,r"e Jm.Sy h apfirora os siswtaintsochme e p ar­
ticulpaerrlpyl epxaissangseg,t oS andCrhae ldSeulsaiSnnw ,a Mnu ra,
MarRya m,ea ynPde ggSya afroiper r sonaanlid n telsluepcpotdruutar l­
intgh is pastt oJy eeannrie,frC raenwaden Jdo natDhiarne cftroo r
makiwnogr wki tCho lumUbniiav ey rsPirtepslse a.asF uirnleayIl,
woulldi kteot hank HA.r Ndiecnseh no,lw hor eatdh eetn imrea nu­
scrwiiphtt t hietn elliegnlta ryea deery'aesn eda anrd whoser eliins h
Adorntoh'osu agnhdltn i guidsatriicsn ugs tamient ehdr otuhgfiehn al
stasog fet hper joe.c t
ShieWreberryN icholsen
BIIII
Editorial Remarks from the
German Edition
TheE ngltirsanhs loaftN ioleno n
zur Lileralur isb aseodn t htee xt
inv olu1m eo fA dornGoe.sa'msme lte Schriften, editbeyRd o lTfi ede­
I
man(nF raunrtak mfM ainS:u hrka1m9p7,4 ).
Thet rheveo luomfeN solen zur Lileralur whiAcdho rpnuobs lhied
hisemlcfa moeu t-tihnBe i libotShuehkr ksearmipe s-Swuihtrhk amp
VerlBeargl,ia nn dF rankufrta mM ai(nlt aerF,r aknufrta mM ain).
NOlen zur Literalur III appeare1d9 6i5nv olu1m4e6T .h eG erman
as
editoinwo hni tchhEe n gltirsahn silbsaased t ifoolnl otwhsle a st edition
toa ppeadru ritnhgaeu thloeirtf'ismf oret :h NeOl en zur Lileralur Ill,
thper ign toi600fn,0 to9 00,0 in1 96A6d.o rpnroo evdii dnofrmation
ont hgee neasnipdsr evipouusb licaattt hieeon nds ea ocfho ft hteh ree
voluomfet shN eOl en zur Lileralur. Thei nofrmatifoorNn o lnI zur Lil­
eralur II I iass f loolws:
Puhlication Information (Noten zur
Literatur III)
"Tit.eP laraphzruaseLe nss ingp,u"bs lhieidnA hetJ le, no3., 1 962.
"Zuen iemP ortrTiihto mMaasn nsata ,l"kg ivaettn h oepe nionfg
thDea rmasdtetx ihibt,iM oanrc2h4, 196P2u. bhleidis nD ie Neue
RU"JsCMU, vol7.3,n o2.- ,31 962.
VII'
EDITORIAL REMARKS FROM THE GERMAN EDITION
"Bibliographische Grillen," developed from a note in the Franlt/urler
Allgemeine Zeitung, October 16, 195p9u;bli shed in Abenle, no. 6,
1963.
"Rede tiber ein imaginares Feuilleton," a talk for Swiss radio, Zurich,
February 24,1 96P3r.int ed in the SiJdeud tsche Ze;lung, April 1351,r
1963.
"Sittlichkeit und Kriminalitat. Zum I I. Band der Werke von Karl
Kraus," developed from a short note in Der Spiegel, August 5, 1694.
Unpublished.
"Der wunderliche Realist. Uber Siegfried Kracauer," a talk on the
Hessischer Rundfunk, February 7,1 964Pu.bl ished in Neue Deutsche
Hefte, no. 101Se,pt ember-October 196.4
"Engagement," a talk on Radio Bremen, March 281, 96u2nd,er the
title "Engagement oder ktinsterlische Autonomie." Published in Die
Neue Rundschau, vol. 73n,o . I, 1962.
"Voraussctzungen," a talk on the occasion of a reading by Hans G.
Helms, Cologne, October 271,9 6P0u.bli shed in Altzenle, no. 5, 19I6.
"Parataxis. Zur spaten Lyrik Holderlins,n a talk given at the annual
conference of the Holderlin-Gcsellschaft, Berlin, June 7,1 96T3h.e
revised version was first published in Die Neue Rundschau, vol. 75, no.
I, 196.4
For Nolen zur Literalur 11/, the editor of the complete German edition
limited himself to correcting misprints and errors in citations and to
making the citations somewhat more consistent.
Adorno was unable to fulfill his intention of publishing a fourth vol­
ume of the NOlen zur Lileralur. The present volume includes under the
title Note" zur Literalur /V those pieces that Adorno had wanted to in­
clude in the planned volume. He was hesitating only about the essay on
Bloch-for personal reasons that are irrelevant in a posthumous edition.
Adorno was not satisfied with his talk on George, written for the radio,
and intended to rework the text.· In the case of this talk, the typescript
• Twoa ddititoenl(twasel r teo be incluhdeerdoe n:eo nBe ckenL'', i,.,."",a,,n,udal nott heornPa ul
CelaSnp'r4sch gilltr; att imeAsd orno considered laltittmoeiar tni i nntgre erttphaeto ifto hnpoee m
UEnghfruungA.d"o r'n,co opioe5f bo thbo oksa ree xtseinvealnynt oatebdu,th en evegro tt ot he
poinotf a writtteexnt .
IX
EDITORIAL REMARKS FROM THE GERMAN EDmON
served as the copy for this edition; in aU other cases proofs supervised
or corrected by the author himself were used:
"Zum Klassizismus von Goethes Iphigenie," in D;e Neue Rundrchau,
vol. 78, no. 4, 1967, pp. 586-99.
"Rede tiber den Raritatenladen von Charles Dickens," in Feder/ese.
Ei1l A/ma1lach des Deutsche" PEN-Ze1Ilrums tier Bundesrepuhlik, edited by
Benno Reifenberg and Wolfgang Weyrauch. Munich: K. Desh, 1967,
pp. 232-42. The text first appeared in the Fra,,/e!urler Ze;lung, April
18, 1931 (75:285), p. If. Adorno prefaced the revised reprinting of
1967 with these remarks: "The text published here belongs to the. au­
thor's youth. It originally appeared in the feuilleton of the Frankforter
Zeilu1Ig in the early 19305, certainly before 1933."
"George," after the typescript in the author's papers. A talk on the
Deutsc hlandfunk, April 23, 1967.
"Die beschworene Sprache. Zur Lyrik Rudolf Borchardts," in Rudolf
Borchardt: Awgewiihlle Gediehte, selected and with an introduction by
Theodor W Adorno. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp, 1967· pp. 7-35.
"Henkel, Krug und fruhe Erfahrung," in lirnsl Bloch ehre1l. Be;­
ZN
Irage zu seinem Wer.t, edited by Siegfried UnseJd. Frankfurt am Main:
Suhrkamp, 1965, pp. 9-20.
"Einleitung zu Benjamins Sehriften," in Walter Be1Ijami,,: Schriften,
edited by Theodor W. Adorno and Gretel Adorno, with Friedrich Pod­
szus. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp, 1955, vol. I,pp . ix-xxv.
"Benjamin, der Briefschreiber," in Waller Be1Ijami,,: Brie/e, edited and
annotated by Gershom Scholem and Theodor W. Adorno. Frankfurt am
Main: Suhrkamp, 1966, pp. 14-21.
"OEfener Brief an Rolf Hochhuth," in the Fradforler Allgeme;"e Ze;­
lung, june 1967 (no. 132), supplement. The text was reprinted in
10,
Theater Heute, vol. 8, no. 7, july 1967, p. If.
"1st die Kunst heiter?" in the SiiddefllSche Zeilu1Ig, july ISh6, 1967
(23: 168), p. 7 A reprinting in the Alma"e}, der Wieffer Feslwoe},e1I
J.
[1968]. Die Komodia'"ten Europas. Vienna and Munich: SUddeutsche
Verlag, 1968, pp. 19-23, which appeared under the title "Zur Dialektik
cler Heiterkeit" and in which the sections are not numbered, probably
occurred without the author's involvement.
x
EDITORIAL REMARKS FROM THE GERMAN EDmON
The original published versions of both the essay on Borchardt, which
appeared as the introduction to a selection of Borchardt's poems made by
Adorno, and of the "Introduction to Benjamin's S,hrifierr" contain edi­
torial remarks on the respective editions which read as follows:
Ont hSee lenc [toBifoo crharPdoetm'ss]
An attempt to create public awareness of Borchardt's stature as a lyric
poet requires a brief selection of his poems. But that is one of those
ungrateful tasks that makes one vulnerable to criticism no matter what
one does. Similarly, one can say of every translation that it lacks either
fidelity to the original or forcefulness in its own language. The basis for
these shortcomings is no doubt the contradiction between the pure and
objective claims of spirit and the claims of communication, the contra­
diction between the in-itself and the for-others.
This selection of Borchardt's poetry deals with an author who is im­
portant but who, in part under the shadow of Hofmannsthal's renewed
fame, seems beset with a taboo. The selection will be criticized either
for attempting to awaken something from the past through an act of
violence or for being based on arbitrary preferences, perhaps even at the
expense of the poet's fundamental ideas. The only thing that may be of
use here is to articulate the criteria used in the selection.
The selection is intended neither to negate nor to eliminate subjective
taste; rather, it is based on subjective taste. Taste is most likely to achieve
something living when it itself is alive. With an oeuvre like Borchardt's,
however, an oeuvre whose historico-philosophical presuppositions are so
polemical, that is not enough. The means whereby Borchardt creates
distance and resists immediate experience on the part of the recipient
have as much right to appear here as does the aspect of his work that is
immediately evident and that as such may not represent the poet at all.
Not the least of what is contemporary in Borchardt are the poems
through which he challenged the canon of what is lyrical, a canon which
in his day was still in force but had already lost its power. Only someone
who finds the "Bacchische Epiphanie" and the incomparable Lied "Sie
sagt im Gehen" within the same selection can gauge the range of this
author. Borchardt was given something in abundance that he-one of
the few German artists with a sense of reJw-for the most part forbad
himself. It would also have been illegitimate to exclude poems that per­
mit any second-rate mind to feel superior and more modern on the basis
of the paltry privilege of being born later. It is only through what the