Description
Le Rider uses the notion of identity to bring together diverse aspects of the Viennese fin de siecle in a new and illuminating way. Focusing on the work of Weininger, Schnitzler, Hofmannsthal, Gross and Beer-Hofmann, he examines the various intellectual and artistic crises of identity at the heart of Viennese society. He argues that Viennese thinkers articulated at least three different crises of identity: they unseated the concept of personhood; they redistributed gender roles; and they reassessed supposed differences between Jews and non-Jews.
Le Rider goes beyond literary history to survey the mentalities, imaginative experiences and structures of feeling which are peculiar to turn of the century Vienna, arguing that Austrians lacked the images of heroic virility on offer in Germany. Viennese intellectuals saw themselves as threatened by loss of identity in a chaotic world where masculine authority was being challenged, liberal political values overthrown, and aesthetic values subverted. In these and other respects, the culture of fin-de-siecle Vienna prefigured later developments which we have now come to describe under the term 'postmodernism'.
Reviews
'A masterpiece of erudition and imagination, Le Rider's magnum opus is now the work of choice for anyone interested in turn-of-the-century thought.' American Historical Review
'It is impossible to convey in a few words the richness of this book.' Modern Language Review
'Elegant, challenging and perceptive.' Times Literary Supplement
Book Information
ISBN 9780745609706
Author Jacques Le Rider
Format Hardback
Page Count 380
Imprint Polity Press
Publisher John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Weight(grams) 680g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 158mm * 33mm
