Theodor W. Adorno

Gerhard SchweppenhÄuser is Professor of Design, Communication, and Media Theory at the University of WÜrzburg in Germany. He has written many books building on the sociocultural, analytical mission of the Frankfurt School, including two focused on Adorno. James L. Rolleston is Professor Emeritus of Germanic Languages and Literatures at Duke University. He has written books on Kafka, Rilke, and modern German poetry. His translation of Bernd Witte’s Walter Benjamin: An Intellectual Biography won the German Literary Prize of the American Translators Association. His and Kai Evers’s translation of Peter Weiss’s last play, The New Trial, is also published by Duke University Press.

• Preface to the English Edition viiTranslator's Preface xi1. The Project of Renewing Childhood by Transforming One's Life 12. Critical Theory 113. Reason's Self-Criticism 18Defined Negation 20The Two Faces of Enlightenment 264. Rescuing What is Beyond Hope 34Philosophy from the Perspective of Redemption 34Primacy of the Object 385. The Totally Socialized Society 51The Concept of Society 52Liquidation of the Individual 58Critical Theory on Morality 686. The Goal of the Emancipated Society 777. The Powerless Utopia of Beauty 91The Destruction and Salvation of Art 93The Silence of Music 102The Transition from Art to Knowledge 109Theorizing Art and Culture in the Institute for Social Research 112Benjamin and Kracauer: Theorizing Mass Art 120Anarchistic and Bourgeois Romanticism: Adorno's Critique of Benjamin 125The Work of Art and the Concept of Truth 1288. The Failure of Culture 136The Radically Pathetic and Guilty Culture 137Enlightenment as Mass Deception 144Biographical Timeline 159Notes 163Bibliography 171Index 179

“[SchweppenhÄuser’s] book (now expanded and available in English in James Rolleston’s brisk and lucid translation) provides a concise but astonishingly thorough overview of the main elements of Adorno’s thought, while simultaneously highlighting both Adorno’s importance as a thinker and his continued relevance for today.” - Erica Weitzman, German Quarterly “[I]t is fair to say that appreciating the brilliance and fecundity of Adorno’s thought remains a difficult challenge. . . . [G]iven the difficulties that are bound to be experienced, any reader new to him is likely to be eternallygrateful for the existence of Gerard SchweppenhÄuser’s introductory volume. . . . SchweppenhÄuser’s text is never less than eminently read -able and often deeply insightful and it serves to remind us how, in an age dominated by consumerism, this great thinker’s ideas remain deeply relevant.” - Peter Sedgwick, Times Higher Education Supplement “SchweppenhÄuser is intimately familiar with the complexity of Adorno’s thought, but he is able to truly translate and introduce these ideas in a remarkably clear, engaging, jargon-free, and highly readable language.” - Shannon Mariotti, Review of Politics “The book's general clarity, breadth and depth of understanding make it a valuable, informative and advanced introduction to one of the more complex thinkers of the twentieth century.” - Paul Mazzocchi, Political Studies Review “In this work, SchweppenhÄuser, through his lucid representation of Adorno’s often esoteric prose, which is augmented by James Rolleston’s exemplarytranslation, and his erudite comparison with similar theorists, presents uswith an examination of Adorno that remains faithful to the theorist’s owncommitment to an interdisciplinary and contextually aware approach tophilosophy.” - Steven Leddin, International Journal of Philosophical Studies “Theodor W. Adorno: An Introduction is a useful survey of Adorno’s thought. It is concise, written in plain language, and focused on the most important topics and themes of the theorist’s work. Gerhard SchweppenhÄuser gives basic background about the intellectual and historical context of Adorno’s thought and writings, and he makes a convincing case for the internal coherence of a complex and at times apparently heterogeneous body of work.”-Uwe Steiner, Rice University “This is a clear and concise overview of Theodor W. Adorno’s philosophical, political, sociological, and aesthetic thought, written by a brilliant German critical theorist. Gerhard SchweppenhÄuser covers all the central topics in Adorno’s writing, shows a firm grasp not only of his work but also of the secondary literature on it, and relates his thought to the more recent theoretical literature that has challenged it.”-George Steinmetz, University of Michigan “This superb introduction to Adorno’s complex and difficult work is full of extraordinary insights, which will benefit the old hands as well as the beginners.”-Fredric Jameson, Duke University “[I]t is fair to say that appreciating the brilliance and fecundity of Adorno’s thought remains a difficult challenge. . . . [G]iven the difficulties that are bound to be experienced, any reader new to him is likely to be eternally grateful for the existence of Gerard SchweppenhÄuser’s introductory volume. . . . SchweppenhÄuser’s text is never less than eminently readble and often deeply insightful and it serves to remind us how, in an age dominated by consumerism, this great thinker’s ideas remain deeply relevant.” - Peter Sedgwick (Times Higher Education) “[SchweppenhÄuser’s] book (now expanded and available in English in James Rolleston’s brisk and lucid translation) provides a concise but astonishingly thorough overview of the main elements of Adorno’s thought, while simultaneously highlighting both Adorno’s importance as a thinker and his continued relevance for today.” - Erica Weitzman (German Quarterly) “In this work, SchweppenhÄuser, through his lucid representation of Adorno’s often esoteric prose, which is augmented by James Rolleston’s exemplary translation, and his erudite comparison with similar theorists, presents us with an examination of Adorno that remains faithful to the theorist’s own commitment to an interdisciplinary and contextually aware approach to philosophy.” - Steven Leddin (International Journal of Philosophical Studies) “SchweppenhÄuser is intimately familiar with the complexity of Adorno’s thought, but he is able to truly translate and introduce these ideas in a remarkably clear, engaging, jargon-free, and highly readable language.” - Shannon Mariotti (Review of Politics) “The book's general clarity, breadth and depth of understanding make it a valuable, informative and advanced introduction to one of the more complex thinkers of the twentieth century.” - Paul Mazzocchi (Political Studies Review)