This book focuses on Hugo von Hofmannsthal's intense, lifelong
concentration upon a single cohesive set of poetic, philosophical and
ethical concerns, a quality of his work which has been neglected in the
bulk of existing scholarship. Professor Bennett examines Hofmannsthal's
work in the context of literary theory and the history of philosophy,
referring especially to Nietzsche, German Idealism and the poetics of
German Classicism. He identifies three principal areas of concern to
Hofmannsthal: the theory of genre, the question of the role of
literature in society and the search for a fruitful response to the
problem of the historical development of culture. The argument proceeds
by way of detailed interpretation of texts, including Der Tor und der
Tod, the Chandos letter, Ariadne auf Naxos, Der Schwierige, Das
Salzburger Grosse Welttheater and Der Turm.