Cultural Seduction in German History
About This Novel
This book mainly explores an arguably disastrous German habit, which is to regard cultural achievements above all else and regard culture as a noble substitute for politics. This tendency has profoundly affected German history from the end of the 18th century to today. The author believes that the German preference for art over politics is fundamental to understanding the special nature of Nazism, to which many Germans (and others) were attracted. Hitler and many in his circle were failed artists and intellectuals who seemed to practice politics as an alternative form of art. Lepenis focuses on Goethe and Thomas Mann, but also touches on other important figures such as Novalis, Walt Whitman, Leo Strauss, and Ellen Bloom. Le Penis is not only concerned about Germany, he is also concerned about how German cultural obsession, cultural superiority and disdain for politics have affected relations with other countries, especially France and the United States.
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