Robert Musil's Intellectual Affinities

Robert Musil is known as the "Universalgenie" due to his training in various disciplines and his exploration of classical questions of beauty, truth, and morality in a modern context. This essay collection explores his fiction, essays, letters, diaries, and public addresses, offering unexpected treatments of ideas and revealing previously overlooked links between those ideas and other authors, works, and movements. The contributions cover psychology, sociology, statistics, humor, identity, and love, and deal with literary epochs or theories ranging from Romanticism and Modernity to decadence and reader response.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 238 pages
Publication date: 21 March 2018
Publisher: Peter Lang AG, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften

In the realm of German-speaking modernity, Robert Musil emerges as a true polymath, possessing a remarkable array of skills and expertise. Having undergone training as a soldier, engineer, philosopher, and psychologist, he fearlessly ventured into fields beyond his formal academic pursuits. Musil's remarkable work takes a unique approach, repurposing the conceptual frameworks of literature, philosophy, science, law, medicine, politics, education, and more to reexamine timeless questions of beauty, truth, and morality within the intricate tapestry of modern life. While his conclusions may not always provide definitive answers, they offer suggestive insights that encourage further reflection. At its finest, Musil's scholarship embraces the practice of multivalent inquiry, and this essay collection aims to emulate that spirit. By drawing from a diverse range of sources, including Musil's fiction, essays, letters, diaries, and public addresses, the authors of this volume present unexpected interpretations of ideas that Musil explored. They also unveil previously unnoticed connections between these ideas and other authors, works, and movements, expanding our understanding of the broader literary and intellectual landscape. The contributions in this volume span various fields, including psychology, sociology, and statistics, while tackling concepts such as humor, identity, and love. They also delve into literary epochs and theories, ranging from Romanticism and Modernity to decadence and reader response. By exploring these diverse topics, this collection contributes to our understanding of Robert Musil's profound and multifaceted legacy.

Weight: 366g
Dimension: 221 x 145 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783034321150
Edition number: New ed