Beyond Catastrophe: German Intellectuals and Cultural Renewal After World War II, 1945D1955

by Mark W. Clark

Overview

Beyond Catastrophe examines the post-World War II leadership efforts of four major German intellectuals: Karl Jaspers, Thomas Mann, Friedrich Meinecke, and Bertolt Brecht. Clark focuses on the symbolic, practical, and theoretical contributions of these men to post-war cultural reconstruction, and pays special attention to their key works of the period — The German Catastrophe, Doctor Faustus, The Question of German Guilt, and Turandot — in which they addressed the key issues of the period including responsibility and guilt for the National Socialist regime, German distinctiveness, the possibility of a renewed humanism, and the relationship of intellectuals to the broader society. Addressing an important lacuna in twentieth-century intellectual history, Beyond Catastrophe will appeal to scholars of history and German studies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780739112311
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	04/13/2006
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.46(w) x 9.42(h) x 0.84(d)

About the Author

Mark W. Clark is associate professor of history and philosophy at the University of Virginia's College at Wise.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Guardian of the Past: Friedrick Meinecke
Chapter 3 A Prophet Without Honor: Karl Jaspers
Chapter 4 The Insider as Outsider: Thomas Mann
Chapter 5 Hero or Villain? Bertolt Brect in the GDR
Chapter 6 Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

This readable, well-researched study is an important contribution to German intellectual and political history. Highly recommended.

Choice

This readable, well-researched study is an important contribution to German intellectual and political history. Highly recommended.

CHOICE

Demonstrating admirable prose and analysis, Mark Clark assesses anew the contributions — and limitations — of four pre-eminent intellectuals who sought to bridge the nearly unbridgeable abyss between pre-war Germany and the traumatized societies, east and west, that painfully emerged after 1945.

James F. Tent

This readable, well-researched study is an important contribution to German intellectual and political history. Highly recommended.

Choice Reviews