Hugo von Hofmannsthal

by Adrian Del Caro

In this study of the Austrian lyric poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Adrian Del Caro proves that this precocious contemporary of Rilke, too often considered a typical fin-de-siecle aesthete, was in fact an early and consistent opponent of aestheticism. In lucid and graceful prose Del Caro clearly establishes a parallel between Hofmannsthal's work and Nietzsche's Lebensphilosophie, demonstrating that the poet, with his efforts to find a legitimate source for values, can indeed be seen as Nietzsche's heir. The author's thesis is that poets are more articulate spokespersons for life than philosophers. "For this reason," concludes Del Caro, "and perhaps best for this reason, namely that the poets are naive and disavow the role of teacher, they are heard when the philosophers are not heard." In thoughtfully sequenced chapters Del Caro presents the basic themes of Hofmannsthal's poetry - themes such as Pre-existence, Threshold, and Transformation.^ His explications of these themes effortlessly dr