In the shadow of empire
Subtitle: Austrian experiences of modernity in the writings of Musil, Roth, and Bachmann
By: Malcolm Spencer.
Series: Studies in German literature, linguistics, and culture
Publisher: Camden House
Published: 2008
Place of publication: Rochester, N.Y
Language: eng
Number of pages: 254
ISBN-13: 9781571133878
Subjects: Musil, Robert, -- 1880-1942; Roth, Joseph, -- 1894-1939; Bachmann, Ingeborg, -- 1926-1973; Austrian literature -- 20th century -- History and criticism
Description: "Austria was not the only European country whose old order disintegrated in the early twentieth century, giving way to the crisis of modernity, nor the only country whose literature bears the marks of this crisis. But modernity's onset was experienced differently in Austria: in the words of Karl Kraus, the country served as a "laboratory for the fall of world civilization." This book examines the crisis as reflected in fiction written by Robert Musil, Joseph Roth, and Ingeborg Bachmann between 1920 and 1970. After examining the elusive concept of modernity, Malcolm Spencer looks at the response of the three authors to the central themes of modernity: fragmentation, nationalism, the end of empire, and ambivalence. Chapters on Musil examine his understanding of the ancien regime in Austria and his analysis of the ideological stage of modernity. Spencer then considers Roth's more negative reaction, showing the post-imperial novel Radetzkymarsch to be a nostalgic response to the collapse of Habsburg Austria and the rise of fascism. The final chapter looks again at the end of empire, not in the work of writers who lived through it, but through that of one who experienced it as a historical and cultural legacy: Ingeborg Bachmann."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction: Negotiating modernity in the Austrian context; title: Modernity, nationalism, and the Austrian crisis; title: Vater, Landesvater, Gottvater: Musil and the ancien regime; title: Enemies of the empire in "Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften": Sepp, Feuermaul, and Schmeisser; title: "Europe is committing suicide": Joseph Roth's Radetzkymarsch; title: "How much home does a person need?": Ingeborg Bachmann's  "Drei Wege zum See"; title: Conclusion: Austria and what it means to be modern; title: Bibliography; title: Index.