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11 - Thomas Mann and Martin Heidegger

Two Distinct Paths of the “Conservative Revolution” in Germany

from III - Heidegger and Literary Works

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 November 2023

By
Ingo Farin
Edited by
Andrew Benjamin
Andrew Benjamin
Affiliation:
Monash University, Victoria
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Summary

After an introductory discussion about Mann’s and Heidegger’s direct comments about each other, I explore how Mann and Heidegger are situated with regard to what has been called conservative revolution. Mann not only helped to gain currency for the concept of conservative revolution, but he also defended it against what he considered its right-wing and/or fascist spoilers, before eventually providing a thorough criticism of it in his Doctor Faustus. Heidegger’s recently published Black Notebooks show that in the 1930s and 1940s his thought veered towards the direction of conservative revolution, as described in Mann’s novel. To complement the understanding of conservative revolution, I also draw on Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s seminal speech from 1927, which helps to determine how much Heidegger’s philosophy partakes of the spirit of conservative revolution in Germany.

Keywords

Martin HeideggerThomas MannHugo von HofmannsthalBlack Notebooksanti-culturalismmythbarbarismpoetryBeing
Type
Chapter
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Heidegger and Literary Studies , pp. 278 - 318
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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