In his article "Hesse's Steppenwolf as Modern Ethical Fiction" Micha? Koza discusses the significance of "ethical fiction" in modern literature. Such fiction, according to Kant, Kierkegaard, and ...Nietzsche, are not only milestones of ethical thinking, but more importantly offer a narrative for self-creation as an ethical subject. Harry Haller, the protagonist of Hermann Hesse's Steppenwolf, is a man living on the border of modern subjectivity embodying a cultural and existential crisis. Koza argues that "ethical reading" enables one to see the relation between philosophy and literature that not only enter in a dialogue with each other, but also share their crises, with the crisis of mimesis at the fore.
The present work is part of a larger effort of investigating the concept of man's ontological and ideological liminality - such as between nature and civilisation; beastly and divine; and private and ...public. The interest in literary representations of human liminality lies primarily with their collocation with the aesthetic and cognitive category of the monstrous, insofar as characters depicted as straddling the divides between such antinomies of the human experience personify the sense of the uncanny underlying the modern, urban civilisation. We pursue herein several aspects of the uncanny found within the labyrinthine conceptual structures in Hesse's Steppenwolf and Kafka's Metamorphosis. PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
Die Arbeit verfolgt ein systematisches Projekt: Sie will in der deutschen Erzählliteratur der literarischen Moderne zwei Schreibweisen anhand ihrer Lesbarkeit unterscheiden und zugleich einschlägige ...Theorien der Lesbarkeit anhand der Analyse zweier typischer Erzähltexte der Moderne überprüfen. Es wird die These zugrunde gelegt, dass die avantgardistische experimentelle Prosa ihre Handlung verunklart oder ganz suspendiert. Dieses allgemeine Verfahren der Verunklarung der Handlung wird mithilfe spezieller Verfahren realisiert. Aufgrund der Spürbarkeit der Handlung werden in der literarischen Moderne drei Gruppen von Texten unterschieden, von denen zwei genauer betrachtet werden. Carl Einsteins 'Bebuquin' und Thomas Manns 'Doktor Faustus' stehen jeweils exemplarisch für diese beiden Textgruppen. Aufbauend auf der Theorie der Lesbarkeit von Roland Barthes wird der Unterschied der Darstellungsweisen von 'Bebuquin' und 'Doktor Faustus' nicht auf der Ebene der Lesbarkeit, sondern auf der Ebene der Lektüre behauptet.
In the numerous criticisms on three of Hermann Hesse's (1877-1962) novels, Demian. The Story of Emil Sinclair's Youth (1919), Steppenwolf (1927) and Narcissus and Goldmund (1930), polarity recurs as ...a central theme. This dissertation primarily sets out to answer the following questions: What function does the concept of polarity assume? And which dynamics of this concept unfolds and which solutions are evident? Helga Esselborn-Krumbiegel (1996), Astrid Khera (1978) and Theodore Ziolkowski (1965) maintain that Hesse's ultimate goal with these novels was to reconcile unity in a society filled with contradictory aspects. Secondary literature, furthermore, does not adequately explain the epistemological significance of polarity, and whether Hesse used polarity merely to serve as mediocre harmonization of opposites in society or to revise them dialectically to a certain extent. Demian is a novel of a contemporary upheaval of values, argues Theodore Ziolkowski (1965:88-89), and the direct literary result of Hesse's psychoanalytical therapy and the questioning of his own beliefs. Consequently, the theories of Jung, Freud and Nietzsche evidently influenced Hesse's concept of polarity. The story of Sinclair's youth is characterized by contradictory worlds. Though the contrastive approach of these worlds suggests a higher unity as a solution to conflict, the worlds are ultimately not united (Singh 2006:114). The spectrum of polarities in Demian ranges from the depiction of the concept of polarity in Sinclair's home, the character of Kromer enabling an account with polarity, to the female characters as opposites, and the deity Abraxas, that abolishes polarity. The analysis hereof is based on Nietzsche's concept of Beyond Good and Evil, as well as the duality of the master-slave morality. Hesse wrote about Steppenwolf which he had started writing in the winter of 1924/1925 in Basel (own translation): It is about the story of a human being who suffers from being half wolf and half man. The one half wants to devour and the other wants to think, listen to Mozart. For this reason a disturbance occurs and the guy is not doing well, until he discovers that there are two ways out of his dilemma: either to hang himself or to give in to humour (Hesse quoted by Limberg 2005:107). Steppenwolf therefore deals with the issue whether these contradictory pairs wolf/beast and man and bourgeois/intellectual can be reconciled. To determine the significance of humour in terms of polarity, not only the "Treatise to the Steppenwolf", but also the Magical Theatre in the novel will be analysed. Freud's definition of humour will also be scrutinised. The concept of 'pluralisation' - as an alternative to humour posed by the fictional author of the Treatise - is treated as an excursion in this dissertation. Narcissus and Goldmund, as in the preceding novels, broaches the issue of the artist's role in society, which has an unmistakable autobiographical character. Here the prevalent tension between the Apollonian and Dionysian forces and its possible reconciliation are examined. The dissertation concludes with a comparison of the various forms of polarity in all three novels.
Abstract Background In the literary novel Kurgast (1925), translated in English as A guest at the spa , the Nobel laureate Hermann Hesse describes the treatment of his own sciatica. Methods We ...compare Hesse's description of 85 years ago with a transcript of an interview with a contemporary patient with sciatica. The narratives of both texts were analyzed. Results Both narratives start with hope on full recovery. Later this changes into the realization that one needs to accept that some symptoms are irreversible and will be permanent. Conclusions Although there currently is better understanding, diagnostic imaging and treatment of sciatica, a strong similarity in narrative type between the two stories was observed. Literary narratives can reflect every day practice, and probably can also be used to give better insight in dealing with diseases.
More than any of his other archetypal forms, C. G. Jung’s conception of the shadow has found a permanent place within popular culture. But whether it manifests bodily as a shadow-figure or permeates ...the conscious world in the form of a shadow-realm, the Jungian shadow is presumed to be a negative and even sinister archetypal force. In fact, it is precisely these negative qualities that are now used to identify shadow figures within myths, folk tales, works of literature, and other narratives. This dissertation sheds light on an overlooked archetypal presence which I call the Foreshadow. The Foreshadow archetype represents the theoretical ideal of what the shadow can be: still dark, wild, and hairy, but not sinister or frightening. Through a depth psychological and cross-cultural study of figures who embody this Foreshadow archetype—including John the Baptist, Merlin, al-Khidr, Hanuman, Siddhartha and others—this dissertation lays out a constellation of symbols and narrative elements particular to the Foreshadow, much as Jung did in Aion: Researches into the Phenomenology of the Self. Embraced by its ego-figure, the Foreshadow is what the shadow always wishes to be; not the lurking enemy of the undeveloped ego, but rather, the devoted servant of the transcendent ego, helping it along the path of individuation which leads ultimately to an era-defining symbol of the Self. Keywords: C. G. Jung, depth psychology, Foreshadow, shadow, archetype of the Self, John the Baptist, Merlin, Khidr, Hanuman, Siddhartha
Lure of the Arcane Ziolkowski, Theodore
2013, 2013-08-15, 20130815
eBook
Fascination with the arcane is a driving force in this comprehensive survey of conspiracy fiction. Theodore Ziolkowski traces the evolution of cults, orders, lodges, secret societies, and ...conspiracies through various literary manifestations—drama, romance, epic, novel, opera—down to the thrillers of the twenty-first century.
Lure of the Arcane considers Euripides’s Bacchae, Andreae’s Chymical Wedding, Mozart’s The Magic Flute, and Eco’s Foucault’s Pendulum, among other seminal works. Mimicking the genre’s quest-driven narrative arc, the reader searches for the significance of conspiracy fiction and is rewarded with the author’s cogent reflections in the final chapter. After much investigation, Ziolkowski reinforces Umberto Eco’s notion that the most powerful secret, the magnetic center of conspiracy fiction, is in fact “a secret without content.”
A biblical servant leadership model found in Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians offers a possible framework for servant leadership in terms of being and doing. While recognizing the contribution of ...Greenleaf’s work in servant leadership, this research seeks to find a distinctly biblical understanding of servant leadership. Greenleaf’s model has been criticized for its lack of a philosophical framework. As a result, many of its proponents have come up with their different models and definitions, with so many varying characteristics of servant leadership. Other researchers have recognized a need for a model of servant leadership based on being and doing, not just on doing. The exegetical work in this research shows that Paul’s identity as a servant or being is based on his union with Christ, and his service or doing is based on his participation in Christ. Based on his union with Christ the servant, Paul participates in Christ’s humble, self-sacrificing service. Moreover, he leads others to participate in Christ’s humble, self-sacrificing service in their union with Christ. Accordingly, a new definition of servant leadership is offered: “A servant leader, is a servant in his/her union with Christ, and he/she participates in Christ’s humble, self-sacrificing service, and leads others to participate in Christ.” However, this does not mean that this research offers a definitive philosophical framework for biblical servant leadership, especially because of the scope of the study was limited to the Epistle to the Philippians. It does offer an initial step towards a framework for biblical servant leadership. This research calls for further study of other Pauline epistles to work towards a framework of at least Paul’s understanding of biblical servant leadership.
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