The Correspondence of Ezra Pound and the Frobenius Institute, 1930-1959 (Modernist Archives)

Collecting in full for the first time the correspondence between Ezra Pound and members of Leo Frobenius' Forschungsinstitut für Kulturmorphologie in Frankfurt across a 30 year period, this book sheds new light on an important but previously unexplored influence on Pound's controversial intellectual development in the Fascist era. Ezra Pound's long-term interest in anthropology and ethnography exerted a profound influence on early 20th century literary Modernism. These letters reveal the extent of the influence of Frobenius' concept of 'Paideuma' on Pound's poetic and political writings during this period and his growing engagement with the culture of Nazi Germany. Annotated throughout, the letters are supported by contextualising essays by leading Modernist scholars as well as relevant contemporary published articles by Pound himself and his leading correspondent at the Institute, the American Douglas C. Fox. Cover Halftitle page Modernist Archives Series Ttile page Copyright page CONTENTS FIGURES ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABBREVIATIONS Introduction The Correspondence of Ezra Pound and the Frobenius Institute, 1930–1959 POUND AND FROBENIUS BEFORE THE CORRESPONDENCE FROBENIUS INTO ENGLISH: TRANSLATIONS, INTRODUCTIONS, AND ESSAYS A GERMAN-ITALIAN KULTURBUND: POLITICS, PROPAGANDA AND CULTURE FOR A NEW PAIDEUMA: FROBENIUS AND HIS INSTITUTE AS AN INCOMPLETE “GUIDE TO KULCHUR” “EUROPEAN PAIDEUMA”: EUROPEAN RELIGION, EUROPEAN APOCALYPSE “RESUMING” FROBENIUS: POST-WORLD WAR II LETTERS A GUIDE TO THIS EDITION The Correspondence of Ezra Pound and the Frobenius Institute, 1930–1959 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1949 1958 1959 Commentary CHAPTER ONE Between Opportunity and Oppression: Leo Frobenius and His Institute during the Third Reich FROBENIUS WITHIN GERMAN ETHNOLOGY FROBENIUS AND AFRICA FROBENIUS AND HIS FRIENDS IN THE 1920S AND 1930S FROBENIUS’ ETHNOLOGY IN THE “THIRD REICH” CONCLUSION CHAPTER TWO “European Paideuma”: Ezra Pound’s Mediterranean Modernism CHAPTER THREE Pound, Spengler, and Frobenius: Toward a NEW Paideuma FOLKLORE TOWARD A NEW PAIDEUMA CHAPTER FOUR Out of von Humboldt: Science, Aesthetics, and Obscurity in The Cantos APPENDIX 1 EZRA POUND: THREE ARTICLES ON FROBENIUS APPENDIX 2 DOUGLAS C. FOX: TWO ARTICLES ON FROBENIUS GLOSSARY BIBLIOGRAPHY CONTRIBUTORS INDEX