A Dubious Past : Ernst Jünger and the Politics of Literature after Nazism / Elliot Y. Neaman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Neaman, Elliot Yale, 1957- author.

Series:

Weimar and now ; Volume 19.

Weimar and Now ; Volume 19

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jünger, Ernst, 1895-1998.

Jünger, Ernst.

Authors, German--20th century--Biography.

Authors, German.

Criticism--History--20th century.

Criticism.

Germany--Politics and government--20th century.

Germany.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (342 p.) : 1 frontisp.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley, California : University of California Press, [1999]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

A Dubious Past examines from a new perspective the legacy of Ernst Jünger (1895-1998), one of the most fascinating figures in twentieth-century German intellectual life. From the time he burst onto the literary scene with The Storms of Steel in the early 1920s until he reached Olympian age in a reunited Germany, Jünger's writings on a vast range of topics generated scores of controversies. In old age he became a cultural celebrity whose long life mirrored the tragic twists and turns of Germany's most difficult century. Elliot Neaman's study reflects an impressive investigation of published and unpublished material, including letters, interviews, and other media. Through his analysis of Jünger's work and its reception over the years, he addresses central questions of German intellectual life, such as the postwar radical conservative interpretation of the Holocaust, divided memory, German identity, left and right critiques of civilization, and the political allegiances of the German and European political right. A Dubious Past reconceptualizes intellectual fascism as a sophisticated critique of liberal humanism and Marxism, one that should be seen as coherent and--for a surprising number of contemporary intellectuals--all too attractive.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

ILLUSTRATIONS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Introduction

1. Ernst Jünger: A German Life

3. The Marble Cliffs: An Allegory of Power and Death

4. The Pen and the Sword: Last Knights of the Majestic

5. The View from Above: Logs from a Sinking Ship

6. Challenging the Victor's Optic: Jünger as Oracle in the Age of Adenauer

7. Right Turn: Jünger Retrieved in the Age of Kohl

Afterword

ABBREVIATIONS

REFERENCES

INDEX

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780520921917

0520921917

OCLC:

1163878445