Karl Kraus: A Viennese Critic of the Twentieth Century

ISBN-13: 9789401502283 / Angielski / Miękka / 1967 / 248 str.

Wilma Abeles Iggers

Opis

At no time did Vienna playa greater role in the intellectual and artistic life of the German speaking peoples and of Europe than in the first three decades of the present century. It was the home of Mahler and SchOnberg, of Hofmannsthal and Schnitzler, of Mach and Wittgen- stein, of Freud and of Austro-Marxism. Less known outside the Ger- man-speaking world was Karl Kraus, whose whole work was insepa- rably connected with the Vienna of his time and who, perhaps for this reason, may seem today more "provincial" than the others whom we have just named. Kraus was an apocalyptic moralist: The titles of some of his more important works unmistakably reveal it: "The last days of mankind"; "The day of judgment" (WeUgerieht); "The end of the world by black magic" (U ntergang der Welt dureh die sehwarzeM agie). Like Kierkegaard, he was a witness against his time. But the symbolic object of the time against which Kraus bore witness was of an infinitely minor quality than Kierkegaard's. He did not attack the church of his country or the Christianity of his days; his main target was the Viennese press, a target of quickly passing importance, of which little remains today. Kraus was a master of satirical invective and of the German lan- guage, which he regarded as his most precious inheritance (Ahnenerbe). He felt a deep sense of responsibility for the proper use of the language.

Spis treści

I Introduction. Life, Work and Thought.- Early Life (1) — Die Fackel (1) — Lectures (2) — Associates (5) — Es capism in the thirties (5) — Kraus’s works (11) — Poems (12) — Plays (15) — Epigrams and aphorisms (18) — Glossen (18) — Polemics (19).- II The Absolute Value of Language.- Language was central to Kraus (21) — Contemporary view of language (21) —Absolute value of language (21) —Content and form (23) — Importance of literal meanings (23) — “Unmaskings” (24) — Relationship to language (25) — Mysticism (26) — Reverence (27) — Languages (27) — Opposition to change (29) — Heine and the German language (29) — Criticism of the language of others (31) — Austrian German (32) — Cliché phrases (32) — Language of the Jews (33) — Kraus’s own language (34) — Jokes about weaknesses (36) — Personal attacks to be viewed as art (37) — The satirist as counterpart of the poet (37) — Method (40) — Too much bitterness for satire (40) — Quotations (41) — Picturesque expressions (41) — Humor through surprise (42) — Humor by contrast (43) — Attraction due to wit (44) — Humor in language (44) — Claim of superiority (44) — Perishability of linguistic humor (45) — Kraus’s utterances on his own writing (45) — Language as judge of good and evil (45).- III Literature, Literary Figures, and Criticism.- View of literature not purely aesthetic (48) — Main criticism is commercialism of writers (48) — Die demolierte Literatur (48) — Literature as another moneymaking racket (49) — Pretense of refinement (50) — Favored Biedermeier (51) — Emphasis on language (51) — Necessity of great poetry’s being free from causal relationships (52) — Poetry and madness (52) — Inferiority of the novel (55) — Extremeness of his views (56) — Incidental references to favorite authors (56) — Acceptance and rejection of writers (57) — Rejection of authors on nonessential grounds (59) — Criticism of contemporaries (59) — Altenberg (60) — Nestroy (61) — Wedekinds and Kraus’s similarity to Nestroy (62) — Nestroy and Hebbel (63) — Nestroy’s politics (64) — Goethe (64) — Schiller (66) — Wedekind (67) — Brecht (67) — Bahr (67) — Other very much disliked authors (68) — Heine (69) — Grillparzer (70) — Harden (71) — Hofmannsthal (73) — Rilke (74) — Ibsen (74) — Schnitzler (74) — Salten (75) — Werfel (75) — Kerr (76) — War poets (77) — Burgtheater (78) — Deterioration of the theater (79) — Theater and modern political institutions (79) — Naturalism (79) — Expressionism (81) — Absence of heroism (81) — Relations of theater and press (81) — Necessity for good plays being read and bad ones acted (82) — Deterioration of acting (83) — The status of actors and actresses (83) — Reinhardt (84) — Piscator (84) — Operetta (85) — Bad operettas (86) — Offenbach (87) — Offenbach renaissance (88) — Deterioration of criticism (88) — Not Marxist literary theory (89) — Lack of an explicit theory of literature (89) — Critics (91) — Art (91) — Art and the times (92).- IV The Pernicious Press.- Fundamental opposition to the press (94) — Harmfulness (94) — Commercialization (97) — Prestige (98) — Pretentious nonsense (99) — War (100) — Deterioration of the readers (101) — Values (102) — Lack of dignity (103) — Relations with business (103) — Plagiarism, sensationalism, and gossip (104) — Chattiness (105) — Publicity campaigns (106) — Language (106) — Attacks on specific papers (108) — Benedikt (109) — Preoccupation with topics insignificant to Kraus (110) — Feuilletonists (110) — Békessy (110) — Social Democratic press (113) — Periodicals (114) — The radio (115) — “Authorities” (115) — Power (115) — Privileges of the press (116) — Opposition to freedom of the press (116)— “Totschweigetaktik” (117) — Selfcomparison with the press (117) — Unfairness and mistakes (i18) — Reason for failure (118).- V War as a symptom of the contemporary crisis.- The war as a cultural revolution (120) — Destruction of moral values by profit principle (120) — Corruption in the intellectual sphere (121) — War instigated by profit seekers (121) — The masses as tools (121) — Disappearance of heroism (122) — Extension of society at peace (122) — Pretenses (123) — Danger of victory (124) — War against militaristic expansion (124) — Prophecy of conquest by Asia (124) — Die letzten Tage der Menschheit (125) — Businessmen (125) — Opportunities (126) — The military (126) — Rottenness of the culture (127) — The unscrupulous and profitmaking press (128) — Art in the service of the business man (129) — Poetry (129) — Science (130) — Medicine (130) — Education (130) — Religion (131) — Union-smashing (131) — Paradox (132) — Conclusion (132).- VI Reactions to political events.- Limited interest in politics (133) — A shady business (134) — Lack of understanding and faith (134) Interest in politics (135) — Personalities (135) — Lueger (136) — The emperors (137) — The Balkans (138) — The Germans (139) — Opposition to nationalism (140) — Nationalism of which he approved (140) — Nationalities (141) — The Republic (141) — Disappointment in the Republic (142) — Antagonism toward Social-Democratic personalities (144) — Liberalism and parliamentarism (145) — Belittling of politics, especially democracy (146) — Actual distance from the masses (147) — The Communists (148) — The Christian Socials and Schober (148) — Dollfuss (149) — National Socialism (150) — The retreat of Kraus (152) — Conclusion (152).- VII The Social Role of Woman.- Interest in woman (155) — General attitude (155) — Excessive interference (156) — Kraus’s opposition to the public attitude (156) — Demand for maximum freedom (157) — Private and public morality (157) — Freedom for union of mind and sensuality (157) — Man and woman (158) — Woman as the erotic creature (159) — Secondary importance of the mother aspect (159) Limited social responsibilities (160) — Wedekind’s Lulu (160) — Character of woman (161) — Opposition to the emancipated woman (161) — Woman and the artist (162) — Prostitution (163) — The prostitute and the journalist (164) — Need for discreetness (164) — Opposition to public interference (165) — Jesus as Kraus’s authority (167) — Conformity with nature (167) — — The Chinese as examples of naturalness (168) — Two kinds of homosexuality (168) — Remedy (169) — Only second-hand enjoyment is perverted (169) — Conclusion (170).- VIII The Jewish Problem.- The historical situation (171) — Jews were strangers (172) — Antisemitism (172) — Attempts at a solution (173) — Der jüdische Selbsthass (173) — Kraus and his Jewishness (174) — Language and Jewishness (177) — Materialism of the Jews (178) — Acceptance of antisemites (179) — Explanation of antisemitism (179) — Plea for assimilation (179) — Lack of discussion of Jewish religion (181) — Objections to Jews often contradictory (182) — Attacks against Jewish big business (182) — Antisemitic jokes (183) — The Dreyfus affair (183) — The Hilsner affair (185) — The Zionist movement (185) — Kraus’s authority and his misuse of it (186) — The question of Kraus’s antisemitism (189) — Other “negative Jews” (189) — Contrast with conscious Jews (190) — Attitude at the time of the Nazis (191).- IX Balance.- Negative and hidden social concept (192) — Difficulty of following Kraus (193) — Sensitivity as Kraus’s criterion and goal (194) — Life the supreme value (195) — View of death (195) — Explanation of Kraus from his Austrian background (196) — Kraus’s idea of himself as a judge (197) — Prophecies (197) — Kraus’s basic motivation (198) — Kraus’s purpose (198) — Revolt against the unbound intellect (199) — Rejection of the economic view of man (203) — Technology (204) — The loss of imagination (206) — The arrogance of the mediocre (207) — The plight of contemporary culture (207) — Pessimism concerning man (210) — Rejection of liberalism (211) — Religion (212) — Kraus’s view concerning philosophy (216) — Psychiatry (217) — Complaints about lack of results (220) — Exaggerated opinion of himself (221) — Awareness of audience (223) — Kraus’s self-consciousness (223) — The fighter against the world (224) — Kraus in his world (225) — Lack of originality (226) — Political orientation (226) — The areas of his limitations and his greatness (228).