Karin Bauer is Associate Professor of German Studies at McGill University.

• Acknowledgments Introduction: Adorno's Nietzsche 1. The Bildungsroman of Reason and the Rational Project of Modernity 2. Writing History: Nietzsche, Foucault, and Genealogy 3. The Critique of Metaphysics and the Ideological Moments of Rationality 4. Wagner's Aesthetics as the Origin of Totalitarianism or the Advantages and Disadvantages of Decadence for Wagner Excursus: The Critiques of Bildung 5. Heresy of the Mind: Essays and Aphorisms Conclusion: "Why I Write Such Good Books" Notes Selected Bibliography Index

"This is one of the great encounters of the twentieth century. Bauer does pioneering work in establishing a comprehensive account of Adorno's actual dealing with Nietzsche, and by unfolding the dialogue between the two philosophers on the issue of modernity, she makes an important contribution to our own self-understanding and self-consciousness. The subject matter is not 'easy,' but Bauer presents it in a way that captivates the reader. I am certain the book will find a broad audience among people who are interested in the Frankfurt School, Nietzsche, and in critical theory in general." — Ernst Behler, University of Washington