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Foreplay : Hannah Arendt, the Two Adornos, and Walter Benjamin

Authors :
Carl Djerassi
Carl Djerassi
Publication Year :
2011

Abstract

Hannah Arendt, Walter Benjamin, and Theodor W. Adorno were intellectual giants of the first half of the twentieth century. The drama Foreplay explores their deeply human and psychologically intriguing private lives, focusing on professional and personal jealousies, the mutual dislike of Theodor Adorno and Hannah Arendt, the association between Walter Benjamin and Georges Bataille, and the border between erotica and pornography. Djerassi's extensive biographical research brings to light many fascinating details revealed in the dialogues among the characters, including Adorno's obsession with his dreams, Benjamin's admiration for Franz Kafka, and the intimate correspondence between Gretel Adorno and Walter Benjamin. The introduction of a fictitious character, Fräulein X, intensifies the complex interplay among the four lead protagonists and allows for a comparison of Adorno's philandering and the similar behavior of Martin Heidegger, whose affair with Hannah Arendt is well known. Foreplay brims with intrigue and the friction created when strong personalities clash.

Subjects

Subjects :
Interpersonal relations--Drama

Details

Language :
English
ISBNs :
9780299283346 and 9780299283339
Database :
eBook Index
Journal :
Foreplay : Hannah Arendt, the Two Adornos, and Walter Benjamin
Publication Type :
eBook
Accession number :
354983