Hölderlin and the Poetry of Tragedy : Readings in Sophocles, Shakespeare, Nietzsche and Benjamin

Focusing on Friedrich Hölderlin’s writings on Greek tragedy—especially the works of Sophocles, which he translated to German—this study also examines Hölderlin’s own poetry, which frequently engaged with tragedy. His musings enable a consideration of the various meanings of tragedy, providing a new reading of Shakespeare, particularly Julius Caesar, Hamlet, and Macbeth. The book also discusses Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy, as well as the views of theorists and philosophers such as Walter Benjamin, Theodor Adorno, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Blanchot, and Jacques Derrida, all of whom were influenced to varying degrees by Hölderlin. Drawing upon the insights of Hegelian philosophy and psychoanalysis, this consideration gives readers ready access to a magnificent body of poetry and to the poet as a theorist of tragedy and madness. This is essential reading for an understanding of how tragedy pervades literature and politics, and how it has been regarded and written about, from Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel to Walter Benjamin. Hölderlin (1770-1843) is the magnificent writer whom Nietzsche called 'my favourite poet'. His writings and poetry have been formative throughout the twentieth century, and as influential as those of Hegel, his friend. At the same time, his madness has made his poetry infinitely complex as it engages with tragedy, and irreconcilable breakdown, both political and personal, with anger and with mourning. This study gives a detailed approach to Hölderlin's writings on Greek tragedy, especially Sophocles, whom he translated into German, and gives close attention to his poetry, which is never far from an engagement with tragedy. Hölderlin's writings, always fascinating, enable a consideration of the various meanings of tragedy, and provide a new reading of Shakespeare, particularly Julius Caesar, Hamlet and Macbeth; the work proceeds by opening into discussion of Nietzsche, especially The Birth of Tragedy. Since Hölderlin was such a decisive figure for Modernism, to say nothing of modern Germany, he matters intensely to such differing theorists and philosophers as Walter Benjamin, Theodor Adorno, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Blanchot and Jacques Derrida, all of whose views are discussed herein. Drawing upon the insights of Hegelian philosophy and psychoanalysis, Hölderlin and the Poetry of Tragedy gives the English-speaking reader ready access to a magnificent body of poetry and to the poet as a theorist of tragedy and of madness. Hölderlin's poetry is quoted freely, with translations and commentary provided. This book is the first major account of Hölderlin in English to offer the student and general reader a critical account of a vital body of work which matters to any study of poetry and to all who are interested in poetry's relationships to madness. It is essential reading in the understanding of how tragedy pervades literature and politics, and how tragedy has been regarded and written about, from Hegel to Walter Benjamin. -- From publisher's website

Hoelderlin (1770-1843) is the magnificent writer whom Nietzsche called 'my favourite poet'. His writings and poetry have been formative throughout the twentieth century, and as influential as those of Hegel, his friend. At the same time, his madness has made his poetry infinitely complex as it engages with tragedy, and irreconcilable breakdown, both political and personal, with anger and with mourning. This study gives a detailed approach to Hoelderlin's writings on Greek tragedy, especially Sophocles, whom he translated into German, and gives close attention to his poetry, which is never far from an engagement with tragedy. Hoelderlin's writings, always fascinating, enable a consideration of the various meanings of tragedy, and provide a new reading of Shakespeare, particularly Julius Caesar, Hamlet and Macbeth; the work proceeds by opening into discussion of Nietzsche, especially The Birth of Tragedy. Since Hoelderlin was such a decisive figure for Modernism, to say nothing of modern Germany, he matters intensely to such differing theorists and philosophers as Walter Benjamin, Theodor Adorno, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Blanchot and Jacques Derrida, all of whose views are discussed herein. Drawing upon the insights of Hegelian philosophy and psychoanalysis, this book gives the English-speaking reader ready access to a magnificent body of poetry and to the poet as a theorist of tragedy and of madness. Hoelderlin's poetry is quoted freely, with translations and commentary provided. This book is the first major account of Hoelderlin in English to offer the student and general reader a critical account of a vital body of work which matters to any study of poetry and to all who are interested in poetry's relationships to madness. It is essential reading in the understanding of how tragedy pervades literature and politics, and how tragedy has been regarded and written about, from Hegel to Walter Benjamin.

Hölderlin (1770-1843) is the magnificent writer whom Nietzsche called'my favourite poet'. His writings and poetry have been formative throughout the twentieth century, and as influential as those of Hegel, his friend. At the same time, his madness has made his poetry infinitely complex as it engages with tragedy, and irreconcilable breakdown, both political and personal, with anger and with mourning. This study gives a detailed approach to Hölderlin's writings on Greek tragedy, especially Sophocles, whom he translated into German, and gives close attention to his poetry, which is never far from an engagement with tragedy. Hölderlin's writings, always fascinating, enable a consideration of the various meanings of tragedy, and provide a new reading of Shakespeare, particularly Julius Caesar, Hamlet and Macbeth; the work proceeds by opening into discussion of Nietzsche, especially The Birth of Tragedy. Since Hölderlin was such a decisive figure for Modernism, to say nothing of modern Germany, he matters intensely to such differing theorists and philosophers as Walter Benjamin, Theodor Adorno, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Blanchot and Jacques Derrida, all of whose views are discussed herein. Drawing upon the insights of Hegelian philosophy and psychoanalysis, this book gives the English-speaking reader ready access to a magnificent body of poetry and to the poet as a theorist of tragedy and of madness. Hölderlin's poetry is quoted freely, with translations and commentary provided. This book is the first major account of Hölderlin in English to offer the student and general reader a critical account of a vital body of work which matters to any study of poetry and to all who are interested in poetry's relationships to madness. It is essential reading in the understanding of how tragedy pervades literature and politics, and how tragedy has been regarded and written about, from Hegel to Walter Benjamin. Hölderlin (1770-1843) is the magnificent writer whom Nietzsche called 'my favourite poet'. His writings and poetry have been formative throughout the twentieth century, and as influential as those of Hegel, his friend. At the same time, his madness has made his poetry infinitely complex as it engages with tragedy, and irreconcilable breakdown, both political and personal, with anger and with mourning. This study gives a detailed approach to Hölderlin's writings on Greek tragedy, especially Sophocles, whom he translated into German, and gives close attention to his poetry, which is never far from an engagement with tragedy. Hölderlin's writings, always fascinating, enable a consideration of the various meanings of tragedy, and provide a new reading of Shakespeare, particularly Julius Caesar, Hamlet and Macbeth; the work proceeds by opening into discussion of Nietzsche, especially The Birth of Tragedy. Since Hölderlin was such a decisive figure for Modernism, to say nothing of modern Germany, he matters intensely to such differing theorists and philosophers as Walter Benjamin, Theodor Adorno, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Blanchot and Jacques Derrida, all of whose views are discussed herein. Drawing upon the insights of Hegelian philosophy and psychoanalysis, this book gives the English-speaking reader ready access to a magnificent body of poetry and to the poet as a theorist of tragedy and of madness. Hölderlin's poetry is quoted freely, with translations and commentary provided. This book is the first major account of Hölderlin in English to offer the student and general reader a critical account of a vital body of work which matters to any study of poetry and to all who are interested in poetry's relationships to madness. It is essential reading in the understanding of how tragedy pervades literature and politics, and how tragedy has been regarded and written about, from Hegel to Walter Benjamin Front Cover 1 Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Notes on Hölderlin’s texts, and other abbreviations 8 Acknowledgements 12 Introduction: Hölderlin’s Nachtgesänge 16 1 Voyaging Out: Going Astray 29 I Biography 33 II The Caesura 36 III ‘Andenken’ 43 2 Tragedy and Trauerspiel: Madness and Mourning 50 I Tragedy and Madness 52 II ‘Mnemosyne’ and the Bacchae 58 III ‘Mnemosyne’ and Ajax 66 3 Hölderlin and Greece 73 I Hyperion 73 II Hölderlin on Tragedy 83 III Empedocles: Third Version 91 4 Elegies, Odes, Hymns and Aphorisms 99 I ‘Brod Und Wein’ 99 II ‘Dichterberuf’ 105 III ‘Wie Wenn Am Feiertage’ 107 IV ‘Patmos’ 112 V ‘Der Rhein’ and ‘In Lieblicher Bläue’ 117 VI ‘Wenn Aber Die Himmlischen’ 124 5 Tuché and Automaton: Hölderlin and Oedipus 130 I Hölderlin on Oedipus 133 II Chance Encounters 141 6 Antigone 156 I Post-Hegelian Readings 159 II Heidegger and Translation 166 III Lacan: Antigone 175 IV Hölderlin’s Antigone 180 V Appendix: Oedipus at Colonus 190 7 Nietzsche, Tragedy, Shakespeare 197 I The Birth of Tragedy 198 II ‘Die Titanen’ and ‘Der Einzige’ 207 III On the Genius 213 8 The Origin of German Tragic Drama 234 Conclusion: ‘Friedensfeier’ 256 Notes 263 Bibliography 296 Index of Holderlin’s Works 317 Index of Names and Subjects 319