Author: Midgley, David

Source: Austrian Studies, Volume 15, Number 1, 1 December 2007 , pp. 96-111(16)

Publisher: Modern Humanities Research Association

Abstract:

To some readers, The Man without Qualities is self-evidently a satire on the society of late Habsburg Vienna and of its intellectual attitudes; for others its satirical features are subservient to other aspects. In recent decades, perceptions of the work in both the German- and the English-speaking world have become assimilated to conceptions of the `postmodern', resulting in a downplaying of its sense of satirical and ethical purpose. This article reviews the significance of the satirical qualities in Musil's text, noting their affinity with the writings of Karl Kraus, and then proposes a basis for a critical assessment of the claim that The Man without Qualities is a `postmodern' text.

German
Die Frage, ob der Aspekt der satire im Mann ohne Eigenschaften als Ober- oder Unterton zu gelten habe, hat bereits die frühe Musilforschung beschäftigt. Seit den 1980er Jahren wird die wissenschaftliche Wahrnehmung des Werkes dagegen — sowohl in der deutsch- als auch in der englischsprachigen Welt — weitgehend den Kategorien der `Postmoderne' untergeordnet, was mitunter zu einer Herunterspielung von dessen satirischen und ethischen Belangen führte. In diesem Artikel wird — unter Hinweis auf die offenkundige Affinität zwischen Musil und Karl Kraus — die Bedeutung der satirischen Elemente im größeren Zusammenhang von Musils Text überprüft und eine theoretische Grundlage für die kritische Revision von dessen Einordnung als (proto)`postmodernen' Text vorgeschlagen.

Keywords: The Man without Qualities; satire; Vienna; postmodern; ethical; Musil; Karl Kraus; Satire; Mann ohne Eigenschaften; Musilforschung; Postmoderne; ethisch; Musil; Karl Kraus

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: St John's College, Cambridge

Publication date: 2007-12-01

More about this publication?

• Austrian Studies is an annual journal reflecting sustained interest in the distinctive cultural traditions of the Habsburg Empire and the Austrian Republic. By publishing a wide range of articles in English, together with a selection of book reviews, it aims to make recent research accessible to a broadly based international readership.
  
  The focus is on Austrian culture from 1750 to the present. Literature is considered in relation to psychology, philosophy, political theory, music, theatre, film, and the visual arts. 'Austrian' includes German-language culture of former areas of the Habsburg Empire, such as Prague and the Bukovina, as well as the work of people of Austrian origin living abroad. Austrian interactions with other linguistic and ethnic groups -- the Jewish communities of Austria-Hungary, for example -- are also taken into account.
  
  Each volume of Austrian Studies has a coherent but broadly conceived theme, and reviews of the most important recent publications in the field of Austrian studies. Each volume also includes a number of substantial review essays devoted either to keeping readers up to date with major cultural debates and events, or to areas of scholarship in which activity has been particularly intense.

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