Donahue N. (1988) Analysis and Construction. the Aesthetics of Carl Einstein

7/27/2019 Donahue N. (1988) Analysis and Construction. the Aesthetics of Carl Einstein

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Analysis and Construction: The Aesthetics of Carl Einstein

Author(s): Neil DonahueReviewed work(s):Source: The German Quarterly, Vol. 61, No. 3 (Summer, 1988), pp. 419-436Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the American Association of Teachers of GermanStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/406442 .

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NEIL DONAHUEColumbiaUniversity

Analysis and Construction:The Aesthetics of Carl Einstein

At the approachf Germanroopsin 1940 CarlEinsteinwas releasedfrom a detentioncamp n southernFrance.Unable o flee throughSpainbecauseof his participationn the SpanishCivilWaragainstFranco,'andunable o escape immediate rosecution y German orces as a Jew andCommunist,2instein ookhis own life near Pau at the Spanishborderbythrowing imself nto the Gaved'Oloron iverwith a stone tied around isneck.Einsteinbelongs o those Germanwriterssuch as WalterBenjamin,WalterHasenclever ndErnstWeiBwho, unable o escapeinto safeexile,committeduicide ather han oriskcapture yapproachingaziroops.3Duringhis careeras a criticofpaintingnd iterature, ndas a writerofexperimentalictions,CarlEinsteinhad a reputation s one of the mostacute criticalminds of the Expressionist eneration, houghthe crypticcomplexityfhisworksprevented nypopular eputation.4ather, e seemsto havepreferred postureas anuncomprisinghinker; e saysina letter(1923) hat"ich anatischAnonymititiebeundkompliziertesuruckgehalte-nes Uberlegen."To Einstein he act of thinkingonsists n the disruptionof facilemodes of perception.The purposeful ifficulty f his writing, tsidiosyncraticesistance o easy comprehension,lowed he recoveryof hiswritingsafter the war,but also secured forhimserious admirers mongartistsandcritics.After he warEinstein's orkwasknown utunaccountedforin literaryhistory,and unavailable. elmutHeil3enbutteln 1966 couldstillcallhim,paradoxically,n"6ffentlichergessener."6ince hen,however,his workhas received ncreasingttention otonly nits ownright,butalsofor tsinfluence notherwriters,mostnotablymonghemGottfried enn.7Now CarlEinsteinhasbegunto receivemorewidespreadttention ndto findhis deservedplace n accountsof GermanModernism.nanessayentitled"TheRebirth ndDemiseofMyth nModernism: heCaseofCarl

419


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420 TiIE GERMANQUARTERLY Summer988Einstein,"'8ochenSchulte-Sassexplores he shift nEinstein'sareer rom"Epistemologicalriticism"o "LeftistRadicalism."nhisdiscussion f thelatter half of Einstein's areer,Schulte-Sasseplaceshimin a prominentpositionamonghis contemporaryheoristsof relationsbetween art andsocietyandattemptsto definehis contributiono the development f "aradicalcritiqueof socialmodernity." iventhe theoreticalnatureof hisdiscussionand his concentrationponthe latter half of Einstein's areerafter his turnaway romart and iteratureo politics,Schulte-Sasse eces-sarily imitshis discussion fEinstein'sheoretical ositions ndactualprac-tice as criticandexperimentalrosewriter.Thefollowing ssaydefines hoseearlypositionsbyexamining instein'sownartcriticismnseveral tagesinrelationoWilhelmWorringer'sontem-porary esthetic heoriesonprimitivendabstract rt.Bydefining isearlypositions n reversechronologicalrder,this essay telescopesEinstein'saestheticsfromhis art criticism ntoa readingof his experimentalictionBebuquin derdieDilettanten es Wunders1912)andtherebyprovidesabasis inEinstein's wnartisticandcriticalpracticeor ourunderstandingfhislaterturn o social heoryandpolitical ractice,as discussedbySchulte-Sasse. Further, yexamininghe relation f CarlEinstein o WilhelmWor-ringer,hisessaydefines nGermaniteraryhistoryan nfluentialestheticsof spatialormonthreelevelsof aesthetic heory,practicalrtcriticism ndnarrative ractice.As an artcritic,Einsteinmore than ikelyknewWorringer'sbstraktionundEinfiihlung1907),9whichhadmanyeditions rom ts firstappearanceonintotheTwenties.Einstein'sworkas artcriticbearsstrongresemblanceto Worringer'sn terms of his criticalemperamentndconception f art,enoughresemblancen fact to suggest thatEinstein's ilence aboutWor-ringer'sworksindirect,acitacknowledgementf adirectnfluence.Einsteinseems to haveabsorbedWorringer'shesis inAbstraktionndEinfiihlungandcontinuedurther ntopracticalriticism f contemporaryrt- exactlywhatWorringermitsin his book. Thus Einstein'sworkas an art criticcomplementsWorringer'sheoryof art.Yet Einsteingoes beyondsimply ncorporatingWorringer'shesis onabstractart into his practicalriticismof art. Worringer'sheory,derivedfromthe visualarts, carries mplicationsor allthe arts, butthatdoes notconcernWorringer.instein,however, xpresslyundertakeso extrapolatefrom he visualartsprinciples f formal ompositionorparallel pplicationto literature. n reversechronologicalrder of Einstein'smost importantworks, we can see how ideas he shareswith Worringernhabithis artcriticism,his theoryandcriticism f literature, ndhis ownfiction.Einstein'sesemblanceoWorringers strongestnhisNegerplastik1915),a brief but dense expositionof African culpturewith 116illustrations.'1EinsteinintroducedAfricanart to a Europeanaudiencefor the first time forits serious aesthetic value,1 a development prepared for by Worringer's


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DONAHUE:Aesthetics of Carl Einstein 421defense of primitive art in Abstraktionund Einfiihlung. Like Worringer,Einstein adopts a pejorativetone as antagonistto complacentprejudices nart appreciation:

DerEurop~iereanspruchtnseinenUrteileniberdieNe-ger eine Voraussetzung,limlich ie einerunbedingten,geradezu phantastischenOberlegenheit.De facto ent-sprichtunsereNichtachtunges Negerslediglich inemNichtwissen iberihn, das ihn nurzu Unrechtbelastet.(p. 245).Einstein'ssharptone deflates such presumptions norderto present in theirstead "eine bedeutsame afrikanischeKultur" p. 246).Almost a decade after Worringer'sbook Einstein is now able to refer to"Problemeder neueren Kunst" (p. 246), with recent French Cubist andGermanExpressionistpaintings n mind, and to discuss primitiveart in thecontext of contemporarydevelopmentsin Europeanart. Both EinsteinandWorringerassert the importanceof primitiveart for understandingmodernabstractionand, for both authors, art scholarshipand art criticism havebecome prescriptiveas vehicles for the promotionof avant-gardeart. Theirbooks appearas disguised manifestos for the art of the day.

For both authors the presentation of primitiveart contains an implicitcomparisonwith modern abstractionwhich is, however, not executed indetail. The grounds for comparisonare strictly formal. In both cases theformalapproachattempts to establish the serious aesthetic value of non-naturalisticobjects too readilydismissed at the time as "primitive,"r onlyviewed condescendinglyas ethnographicartifacts. Einstein dismisses cir-cumstantial nformationabout Africansculptureas "imganzen gering undunbestimmt"(p. 246). In any case, historical or ethnographiccommentarydistracts from the critic'sreal task of formalanalysis:"Umgebungsassoziatio-nen ausschalten und diese Bildungen als Gebilde analysieren" (p. 247).Einstein warns againstthe substitution oranalysisof preconceived patternsof historicaldevelopment ("bequemerEvolutionen")or of subjective mpres-sions ("seelische Vorglinge"). ncontrast to such methods of circumscribingthe art work, Einstein presents his critical method:

DieAnalysederFormen ingegen erbleibtndemunmit-telbarenGegebenen; ennnur rgendwelcheormenindvorauszusetzen;edochdienendieseehereinemErfassenals einzelneDinge,dasie als FormenugleichiberSehwei-sen und Gesetze derAnschauungussagen,alsogeradezu einer Erkenntnis inzwingen, ie in der Sphdire esGegebenen erharrt.p. 248)The analysis of form assumes here the existence of conceptualforms thathelp us to understand the aesthetic objects as "einzelne Dinge"; ideal,conceptual forms correspond to the metaphysicaldimension of the givenobject and allow us to perceive in the formal contours of an object ("inder


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422 THE GERMANQUARTERLY Summer988Sphiredes Gegebenen") formof knowledge.notherwords,conceptualformsprovide he standard gainstwhich to measureand illuminateheartworkn ts formalspectswithout bandoningheobjector tscircumstan-tial context, as descriptive,nonanalytical ethodsmightdo. The meta-physical imensionf form s immanentnthe materialworkofart:thetwo"verhaltenich beide dualistischueinander.Geradedie wesentlicheUiber-einstimmungerallgemeinen nschauungndderRealisierung achen bendas Kunstwerk us"(p. 248). The metaphysicalr conceptual imensionallowsgeneralconclusionsbout orm o be drawn rom heparticularorkof art.The methodsof art "criticism"hat Einsteinrefutescorrespondo aconceptionf art thathe, likeWorringer,ttacks. n a shortsurvey,EinsteincondensesWorringer's escription f "empathy"n the historyof art andfollowsWorringer'sistinction etweenaffectiveand absoluteart, thoughhe uses the termspainterlyndplastic,wherebypainterlylementsrenderaffectsandplastic lementsgiveform.Theprogressof naturalismfter heRenaissanceed to "einerv611igeniederlage er Plastik"p. 249)throughthe blurringf genredistinctions, einegainzlicheermischunges Maleri-schenundPlastischen"p. 249). Sculpture ecomespainterly ndpaintingbecomessculptural.Artdegeneratesrom he objectivity f form nspaceto belaboredpatternsof emotionalitillation;rt correspondso whatisfamiliarnd natural ndrepresents o Einsteinmerelya collusion f sym-pathiesbetweenthe artistandviewer,whichbetraysobjectiveorm:

dasWerk errannmmermehr ueinemLeiter sycholo-gischerErregung;... Diese Plastiken aren her Be-kenntnisseinerGenetiklsobjektivierendeormen,herblitzartigeeriihrungweier ndividuen... (p. 249)KonversationsstoffweierMenschen... Umschreibungdes Effektes... (p.250)Einsteingives here a good shortdescription f "empathy"s definedbyWorringers the dominantrinciple f naturalisticrt.In supportof his thesis Einsteindistinguishesetweenthe portrayalfspaceandthe spatialityf the art workwithin ts medium.The refinementof perspectival pace since the Renaissancehad the converse effect ofimpairingurperceptionfthe spatialityfthe artwork:"Selbstperspekti-vischeVersuchebeeintrichtigen as plastischeSehen"(p. 249). Einsteinnotes, as did Worringer,hat perspective,by reproducing naturalandfamiliarcene, represents he temporal elativity fobjects nspaceratherthan hespatialityf the art workas objectiveorm.Innaturalisticrt,"Dasseelisch-zeitlicheMomentfiberwog ollstindig ieriiumlicheestimmtheit"andcorrespondingly,dieVoraussetzungllerPlastik,der kubischeRaum,warvergessen"(p. 250). Withrecent artisticdevelopmentsn France nmind,Carl Einsteinreaffirms he notion of spatial orm in art, as firstformulatedyWorringer.


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DONAHUE: esthetics of Carl Einstein 423EinsteinandWorringerejectnaturalistic rt becauseit is emotive ncontentandrationaln its technique f mimeticdepiction. nprimitive rttheyfind heopposite:"washieralsAbstraktionrscheint,st dortunmittel-bargegebeneNatur"p.251).Einsteinocates he sourceofprimitivebstrac-tion ninstinct,whatWorringerallstheprimitive'sGefihl airdasDingansich:"Primitive rt is "unmittelbaregebeneNatur,"rrationalnstinctun-mediatedbyrationalechnique. nnaturalisticrt there existsa directcor-respondence etween he artistandviewer hroughheempatheticdentifi-cationof each withthe art work; n primitive rt there exists an inversecorrespondenceetweenthe objective,amimetic ormof the art workand

the irrationalmpulsesof the artist and the viewer.The formerproducespsychologicalealism; he latterproducesa type of psychicrealism:"DieNegerplastikwirdsichimformalen innals stlirksterRealismus rweisen"(p.251).Wecanunderstandhat"realism"yreturning rieflyoWorringer.Worringereducedartistic orm o theprinciplef "Weltgefihl,"hich simmanentnspecificdetailsofstyle.Primitiveman s dominatedyan nstinc-aldreadofnature hatWorringerallsagoraphobia"Platzangst"r"Raum-scheu"),a fearofopenspaceand hedangerstmight ontain.He finds elieffrom that dread n the notionof a transcendent od or some atemporalpermanence ehindphenomena.Artis, for the primitive,he reificationfthatrealmandofhisown(private,butcommunal)eligiousense, sincetheamimetic,ormalixityofprimitivebstractionliminateshetemporalelativ-ityofopenspace,andcorrespondso some unnaturalnd imelessessence.Thus, primitive rt has iconicsignificance.Einstein ikewiseproclaims fAfrican culpture: Die Kunstdes Negersist vor allemreligi6sbestimmt"(p. 251)and contains eelingsof both dreadanddeliverance.Rather handescriptive rt that mitatesnature, he dominantrrationalide ofprimitivemangivesrise to a "Realismuser transzendenten orm"p. 253).

Accordingo Worringer, odernmansuffers rom hesame"Weltgefiihl"ofagoraphobia,otfromdread fnature,but romhis fearofa worldwithoutGod andhis rational ecognition f the relativityof all things.Whereasprimitivertis a product f instinct,modernabstractions "Erkenntnispro-dukt," cerebral ecoveryof the primitive'sGefihl firdasDingan sich."Hence, bothprimitive ndmodernabstractiononstitutepsychicrealism,as Einsteinndicated.ForEinstein,allabstraction asa "metaphysische[s]Korrelat"p. 254), because t is amimetic.The modernartistwhorejectsmimesis s not instinctive nd"religious"ike the primitive, utanalyticalandconscious ftheepistemologicalmplicationsfabstraction. ccordingly,the artist "agiert... ffirdie reine Form" p. 251). Consequently, othprimitive ndmodernabstractionemand naestheticsof spatialorm.Thetranscendentalspectofthe artwork s theresultof "spatialercep-tion"nthe artistandviewer,whichs therecognitionf theseparateormalintegrityof the artworkapart romthe viewer andremote from"empathetic"participation:"Dieser Transzendenzentsprichteine riumlicheAnschauung,


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424 THE GERMANQUARTERLY Summer 988die jede Funktiondes Beschauers ausschliel3t"p. 252). Withoutthat "em-pathetic" participation,or reference to the naturalworld, the art work isself-contained as the spatialrealizationof its medium in an objectiveform.As a spatialwhole unto itself, the work has its ownontologythat is assertedby the eliminationof the time element: "Umein abgegrenztes Dasein desKunstwerksherauszubilden,muB ede zeitlicheFunktionausgeschaltetwer-den" (p. 253). The temporaldimension of three-dimensionalperspective isnegated for the immediate effects of wholeness, of complete integration na single moment of perception. Spatialart requires:

die dritteDimensionneinemeinzigen,optischenVorstel-lungsakt u fixierenund als Totalititzu schauen;daBesineinerIntegrationefal3tei ... wasBewegungsaktst,mu3zurUnbedingtheitixiertwerden.Diedreidimensionalsituierten eilemiissengleichzeitigargestellt erden,dasheif3t, erzerstreuteRaummufineinBlickfeldntegriertwerden. p. 255)

By excludingthe relativityof time andspace in three dimensions,the artistfixes amimetic form into the single dimensionof its spatialmediumwhereit can be apprehended n a single moment as integralwhole. The notion of"integration" n a single planeina singlemomentconstitutes the conceptualtotality of Einstein's"absolute"art. Integrationoccurs, paradoxicallyhow-ever, as "eine n6tige, starkeAufteilung,die man als krfiftigeVerselbstlindi-gung der Teile bezeichnendarf' (p. 258), a revelationof compositionalpartsthat reinforces the single impressionof "unmittelbarenRaumsein" p. 258),the immediatespatialityof the art work.The ideal of abstract art for Einstein is "formal ixierter Ausdruck"(p.256), ratherthe opposite of the fluidrhetoric of pathosnormallyassociatedwith Expressionism, though both might share the characteristicEinsteinprescribes forart: "daBKunst einen besonderen FallbedingungsloserInten-sittitdarstellt" p. 257). Intensityof expression forEinstein, however,is notan outpouringof strong emotion, but the rigor of compositionalcoherence,the very denialof empathyand the inversion of strong emotion into strictform."'As "tektonisierteIntensittit"p. 258), art is the formal,constructivistequivalent for the transcendent psychic force, whether instinctual in theprimitiveor analytical n the modern, that the art work contains but doesnot represent mimetically:

Aufgabe erPlastik stes, eineGleichungubilden,worindie naturalistischenewegungsempfingungennd somitdie Masse g'inzlich bsorbiert ind,undihresukzessiveVerschiedenheitn eine formaleOrdnung mgesetzt st.DiesAquivalent uf3otalsein, . . . alseinbedingungslo-ses, geschlosseneselbst1indiges. (p. 257)Finally, he conceptualtotalityof the art work andits realizationas "formaleOrdnung"within its medium is for Einstein "unmenschlich,unpersin-


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DONAHUE: esthetics of Carl Einstein 425lich... ; das heilt konstruktiv,reivon der Erfahrunges Individuums"(p. 262). The constructiveixityof the artwork s not lackof vitality,butthe highest pitchof expression,where depthsof emotionalandrationalexperiencereachsheer concentrationn the iconic stasis of pureform:"DieseStarrheithei8t nichtsanderesals letzte Intensitiit es Ausdrucks,befreitvonjedempsychologischen ntstehen;zugleich rm*glichtie vorallem inegekliirte truktur"p.262).Abstract rt s, paradoxically,fixierteEkstase" p. 262).Inhis ntroductionoAfricanculpture instein resentsageneral esthet-ics of abstractions spatialorm.Hisdiscussionmovesfrom1)his noteoncriticalmethodto 2) a brief historical ketch of "painterly"nd"plastic"arts, to 3) a discussion f thepsychic/religiousimensionfabstraction,o4) an analysisof spatial "cubic")orm andfinally, o 5) a briefgeneraldiscussion f Africanmasks.Nowheredoes he mentionparticularxamplesofAfricanculptureromamonghis 116 llustrations! islackofexplicationseems at firstto contradict isstated criticalmethod hatemphasizeshestylisticparticularityf the art work. Hisargumentor the aestheticmeritofAfricanculpture roceeds rom ts theoretical recepts hrough egreesofincreasinglosenessofcharacterization,varyingonciseness fself-para-phrase hatbrings hereaderacrossdifficultheoreticalerrain o theworksthemselves hat ollow, uthestopsshortofmakingheobvious onnectionsforthe reader.Einstein's rgument s a wholestands na typeofabsolutecomplementaryquation o its object.It belongsto his argumenthat itdoes not becomedescriptive,.e. naturalistic. he laborof criticalcom-prehensionelongs o theviewer/reader,homust hinkorhimself n detailinorder oavoid acile"empathy,"nappreciationf artthroughdentificationand .. laziness.Einstein teps asideto allow,or rather o demand,hatthe reader/viewerarrythrough he analysis nto the individualnstance.He therebypreservesexactlywhat"empathy"estroys,a "Distanz udenDingen"p. 249),whichalignshimwithothermodernists ndgiveshis ideaof criticism,ike his idea of abstraction, touchof hierophancy.The varied eiteration fhisprincipaldeas nNegerplastikerves tobringthereader/viewerloser otheobjectbymediatingmultifariousomprehen-sion of the essence of the art workas form,without uccumbingo directdescription.Hisearlieressays demonstratehe sameessentialpreoccupa-tions, though he terms varyaccordingo context.In the essays I havechosento discuss,we see howthe ideasthatcrystallizenNegerplastikndthatcomprise he unityof Einstein's rtisticenterprise n the first halfofhis careeremergefromhisdeliberationsnliterature ndderiveultimatelyfromhis attemptat "absolute"iction nBebuquin derdieDilettanten esWunders.Inhisfour-partssay"Totalitit-IV"1914)Einstein elineatesnapodicticstyle his fundamentalconceptionof art withoutreference to any particularmedium.Unlike nNegerplastik,he does not considerthe instinctualorigins


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426 THE GERMAN QUARTERLY Summer988ofprimitivert,only heepistemologicalmplicationsfmodemabstraction:"DerErkenntnisakt,.h. dieUmbildungerWeltvorstellung,eschiehtwe-derdurch as Schaffen esKunstwerksderdasBetrachten, ielmehr urchdasKunstwerkelbst" p.224).The workofartdoes notreflect heempathyof its makeror viewerthroughmimesis,butas totalitycorrespondso aconception f the world; he work of art is "transzendent"p. 224) andautonomous, eingeschlossenesSystem"p.226).Assuch he work ubor-dinatespsychology nd ts basis ncausality: Der otaleGegenstandbsor-biertjedenpsychologischen erlauf, er auf hnhinzweckt, lsoauch edeKausalitUt"p. 228). Without onnectiveogicthe workexchangesdepth(perspectiven painting; escription f scene or characterpsychologynliterature)orimmediacyf spatialpresence,"einsimultanRdumliches"p.228), whoseonlystandardorcomparisonndaestheticevaluations inten-sity: "Totalititen nterscheidenichvoneinanderurch ntensitat,d.h. jekr~ftiger ndreicherderBezugihrerInhaltest, je mehrdieseselbst viel-seitigeElementedarstellen"p. 228). Intensitys a measureof theinternalcoherenceamong he elementsof the workof art, not linkedcausallynsequencebutspatiallyo allotherelementsat once.Ina shortessay"UberdenRoman"1914),Einstein ontinues polemicagainst he psychologicalovel hathe hadalready egun nhis"Briefiberden Roman"1911/12):"DerpsychologischeRomanberuhtauf causalerSchlufweiseundgibtkeine Form" p. 127).Throughogicaldevelopmentsof causeandeffect, the psychologicalovelgivesmimetic epresentationsof a character'shoughtsnresponseto surroundingsndportrays spacefor"empathetic"dentification,ather hanpresentingtselfas a totalityofspatialorm.Thematerial fthepsychologicalovel s therefore aturalisticdescriptioniltered hrough r presented o a character sychology: Derdeskriptive childerndeRoman etzt vollsttndigeUnkenntnis es LesersvonTischen,Nachtt6pfen,ungenMdidchen,reppensteigen,chlafr6cken,Busen,Hausklingensw.voraus"p. 127);thatmaterial angs ogetherbythe logicof plot:"EinEreignismitVorbedingungenndFolgen"p. 128).Against he logicof psychologicalmotivationEinsteinproposes hat"JedeHandlungann uchanders ndigen"p.128),whichupsets ogicalequenceandallows ortheendlessrearrangementfelementswithin given orm.1In terms of logic the form of the novel is arbitraryand its constructiveprinciples the randomness f auctorial aprice:"Alsodas KunstwerkstSache der Willkiir"p. 128).Einstein's otionof arbitrarinessnderminesthelogical onnectednessequiredornaturalisticepictionnvisual rverbalart andreleasescompositionallementsfromtheirtemporaldimensionnorder o presentspatialorm.Inanticipationfthedemonstrativenti-logicof DADA,Einstein oncludes"UberdenRoman" iththerallyingry"DasAbsurde zur Tatsache machen!"(p. 129)."4In 1910 Einstein publishedan essay entitled "Vathek" pp. 28-31), oc-casionedby FranzBlei'stranslationnto Germanof WilliamBeckford'snovel.


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DONAHUE:esthetics of CarlEinstein 427Since he makesno mentionof the translation,he essay is not a review;instead,Einsteinproposesto definethe significance f the novel,buthisessay in fact enunciateshis ownliteraryor ratherartisticprogramromBebuquin.ForEinstein, he principle f compositionn Vatheks"Willkiir... zurTechnikgeriindet"arbitrariness s a techniqueof sovereign ubjectivity,"des iberspreiztenWillensurOriginalittit."uchawork ejectsappearancesof realism,"Tautologie, llgemeines ndBekanntes,"ndappearsnsteadas "einKunstmiirchen,"iterally nartfairy ale but moreaptly or Einsteina parableof Art in an idealsense, a secularandself-containedessel oftranscendencehatpreservesin the unreality f its narrative sense ofmiracleandotherworldliness. athek, r the "Kunstmdirchen"n general,demonstrates or Einstein"dabReligiksesisthetischabwirktundgeheimimPoetischen esteht."The workofart,thusconceived,s a self-consciousatavismn asecularocietyand edeemspious mpulseshatwould therwisebe lost. By avoidingharacter sychology ndotherrealistic lements,theworkofartreveals tsowncoherence fcomposition;nd hatself-reflexive,revelatory ualityombineswith hepious unctionfarttomake he "Kunst-miirchen.. ein Gleichnis es unerreichlichen ysteriums."

Althoughhe compositionalrinciple f Vatheks the artist'ssovereignarbitrariness,is techniques rational alculation, hichprovides logicalconception"mathematischestimmteAnschauung")o what s apparentlyillogical.Forexample,charactersnVathekrestylizeddeasthatrepresentthe absoluteness"Bedingungslosigkeit")f artandof the artist; heirarbi-trarinessandexcess, apparentlyllogical, bnegatehestrictures freason,causality ndmimesis,whatEinstein ummarilyalls"abbildendenositivis-mus."The"Kunstmdirchen"anhaveonlyone"plot"fsorts;Einstein astsBeckford'sharactersntothe allegoricalormof the questor search oramiracle:"sie ... suchenwas ihreWillkiirfibertrifft-dasunbeantworteteStaunen."hus,by denyingogic, causality ndrealistic epresentation,heartisttries to adumbrateomethingmiraculouseyond eason,butas "sti-lisierendeRationalismus,"is denialof logicremains trictlycalculatedrlogical.Einstein mphasizeshe mathematicalrecision f theart workbydescribingts elements as "strengmodellierte bjetsd'artvollmathemati-scher Funktion"ndas "Konstruktionen"r productsof "geometrischerWille."The absolutenessof the work of art contains,paradoxically,othmysticalrrationalityndrationalalculation,paradoxhatEinstein apturesin the phrase"gesetzmil3igeWillkiir."Einsteinplaces Beckford'sVathek t the beginning f the tradition f"disthetische[m]essimismus,"r what we callFrenchSymbolismn thetradition of Schopenhauer Einsteinnames Mallarme,BeardsleyandBaudelaire).His evocation f "derreinenKunst" lignsEinsteinwiththattradition, but he departs notably from that traditionby his emphasis ongeometrical form, mathematicalexactitude, laws of form and, particularly,


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428 THE GERMANQUARTERLY Summer 988the workof art as construction.Hisconception f art has ananalyticalardedgethatcontradictshemusical reation f mood avored ytheSymbolists.WhenEinstein laimshat hepoeticelementsof a workarefully ubordinateto "einemmusikalischen esetz,"we sense that his emphasisallsnot onthe music,buton mathematicalawsof formal omposition.NowheredoesEinsteinrecognize he sensualappealof artin the Symbolistmanner,butinsteadts logical onstruction.Whathe finds orhis ownpurposesn Vathekandthe FrenchSymbolistss the evocation f a hermetic ealmofart("dasGebietder abgeschlossenen magination")hatsignals he Platonic ther-worldliness f formandabjures amiliareality.He bringshis essay to aclose withaprescriptionhatbest characterizesis owndenselynaccessiblefiction:"man ebe konzentrierteResultate-keine Wege."Theparadox frationalnd rrationalotalitynthehermeticworkofartaccountsor ts "intensity,"o thedegreethat ts elements orm"simultane-ous" interconnections ithinthe spatialautonomy f the work.15Thosereciprocalelationsdenytemporalityn the art workandcomprisets "kon-zentrierteResultate,"he interplay f logicalconstructionwithapparentdisconnectedness.Einsteinevokes the manipulationf thatparadoxntodenseformationshroughmetaphors f mathematicsndmusic,both self-containedystemsof interconnectedotationswithoutmimetic eference.Einsteinconceivesof bothspatially, ot temporally,n termsof their self-reflexive, ormal utonomy,atherhan heirdevelopmentfproofor themetowards conclusion. omake hatclearEinstein einforces ispresentationof thatparadoxwith a thirdcomparisono abstractpainting: Ichm6chtesie [the artistshe emulates] m GleichnisSchwarzwei.6kiinstlernennen,solchediemitabstrakten arben rbeiten." hereductive ut orcefulimplic-ityofallegoricalppositionsblack-white),lready distortion f the mimeticstandard f naturalism,ndergoesurtherdistortionnonmimeticoloring)in order o attainhe"intensity"f absoluteparadox,"Schwarzwei.3kiinstler. . die mit abstrakten arben rbeiten," hichwouldsignal he self-con-tained otalityof spatialart.Einstein'simileunderscores isownattemptnBebuquin derdieDilet-tantendes Wunderso write imaginative rose accordingo principles fpictorialubism.Incubism he artisteliminateshe temporal imension ftheobjectnthree-dimensionalpacebybreakinghatobjectnto tsmanifoldspatialplanes n one dimension, epresented imultaneously;nBebuquinEinsteinattemptso eliminatehetemporal imensionromprosenarrativethroughhe disintegrationf unified haracter, iscontinuityfplot,irregu-laritiesof syntaxanddiction,andthe spatial onstructionf compositionalelementsin the workthroughhe logical elf-reflexionf leitmotifs. nitsoppositiono organicdevelopmentver timein the novel,Einstein'sworkmilitatesagainstthe dominant raditionnthe Germannovelof the "Bildungs-roman" and becomes sort of "anti-Bildungsroman."ccordingly, he novelhas less to do with the formationof characterthan with its deformation.


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DONAHUE:Aesthetics of Carl Einstein 429As in a "Bildungsroman"he titular character of Bebuquinis a youngman. Yet unlikethe protagonistof a "Bildungsroman"he characterof Bebu-

quinhas little potentialfor positive change, as the name indicates:16 Bebu-quin"derives from the French "b6b6"for baby and "beb6te"for babyish,puerile, simple(-minded);and from the French "mannequin"or artificialclothingmodel (as in English), dummy, insignificantperson, a lifeless, un-naturalbeing. The name indicatesa combination f naturalunderdevelopmentandstiffartificiality, n inability o develop beyond infantility nd a consciousrenunciation fnaturalness; he firstsuggests freedom from a mature dentityand the childlikecapacity to adapt to others, but the latter suggests theevasion of all fixed identity.Thus, Bebuquin's"character"s one of willfulpuerilityand experimentalidentity for the sake of negation, in the mannerof a dilettante.17Inthe openingscene Bebuquinwanders"dingstlich"hroughanallegoricalcircussetting, intent on avoiding"alle[] Uberlegungenfiber die Zusammen-setzung seiner Person ... ."A series of attractions that he avoids demon-strates his willfuldenial of character formationby his environment,until hesuccumbs and enters "das Museum zur billigen Erstarrnis."There, con-fronted with a doll, he is pleased by its naturalappearanceandrecognizesin his pleasurethat he himself "nochnichtin dem richtigenMasse abgestor-ben war";his aim is to eradicateorganiccharacter nhimself since it reflectsthe outside world, not his originalSelf. He proclaims:

Ichwillnicht ineKopie,keineBeeinflussung,chwillmich,aus meinerSeele muI3 twasganzEigeneskommen,undwenn es L6cher n eineprivateLuftsind. Ichkannnichtmit den Dingenetwasanfangen, in Ding verpfichtet uallenDingen.Es steht im Strom,und furchtbarst dieUnendlichkeitines Punktes. p. 74)Bebuquinconsists of negations; he denies all influences from the outsideworld that would form his identity. Denial is the route to "etwas ganzEigenes."Afraid o define himself nrelation o worldlyobjects, he wishes in-stead to discover anoriginalSelfbeyondthe relativityof naturalappearances,however intangible("L6cher n eine privateLuft"),but he remainstrappedinthe "Unendlichkeitines Punktes" hat he cannotproceedbeyond. Throughthe negation of all identity with the naturalworld, Bebuquinseeks to tran-scend his empiricalself in order to arrive at his own metaphysicalorigin.

As he declaimshis intention,anothercharacterenters andspeaks to him.The real worldintrudesupon his transcendentaspirations:Peinlich ingihmdasTalglichtinesVerstehens uf,daBer,wo er einSchauspielehenwollte,einemanderenumTheatergedienthabe. Er schrieauf:Ich bin ein Spiegel,eine unbewegte,vonGaslaternenglitzerndePfiitze,die spiegelt.Aberhatein Spiegelsichje gespiegelt? p. 74)


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430 THE GERMANQUARTERLY Summer 988The intrusion emindshim of the ultimatempossibilityf his quest. Hewantsto avoidallformationf characterromoutside n order o definebythose negationsa transcendent, amimetic"elf, buthe cannotovercometheirreduciblempiricismfhis self thatotherswitnessand ncludentheirworld.Hisquestis rationallympossible,"Aber at sich einSpiegelsichjegespiegelt?"Bebuquin'snabilityoproceedbeyondhe"UnendlichkeitinesPunktes,"has as corollaryhe impossiblityortheprosewriterof eliminating imeticreferencesromadepictionf characternlanguage.ustasBebuquinmakesprogress,althoughltimatelyutile, ntheeliminationfhisorganicharacterby negations,Einsteinntroduces thercharacterswhoconstitute ariationsonBebuquin'searchand ailure; s "analogousigurations"Oehm,p. 115)of the samequest,these figuresnegatefroma different ngle,or refract,the already ncomplete haracter f Bebuquin, ndtheyreinforceherebythe philosophicalrojectat thecore of the novel: he conflationf SelfandWorldna preconscioustatearrived t throughhe systematic liminationof organicdentityandthe consequentranscendencef naturalism.Eachcharacters a figurationf this central dea.The characterf NebukadnezarB6hmrevealsthat idea as allegorical lotin the novel;he cries out, "IchsuchedasWunder." iracle onnects hepreconsciouselfto atranscendentrealitybeyondworldly aturalism. ikewise,hequestfor a miracle eflectsthewriter's ttemptocapturenreferentialanguage transcendentubjec-tivity nthe amimetic, utonomous orkof art.InBebuquin ach characteriguresas a single perspectiveon the ideaof a miracle hatdefiesdescriptionndcanappear nlyas anabsence,theobjectof a vainquest.Hence,eachfigureremains mere dilettante f theabsolute,anallegoricaluisethatbothdeniesorganicwholenessofcharacterand,by negation,projects transcendentutunattainableealitybehind hefalseappearancesf the world.The fulltitleBebuquin derdieDilettantendes Wunderseflects,as anequation fsingularndplural,hearbitrarinessofpersonal dentity, s does also thefollowing xchangebetweenBebuquinandB6hm:

'Waspringenie so inmeinerAtmosphMeerum,Un-mensch?''Verzeihung,einHerr,hreAtmospharesteinProduktvonFaktoren,ie nkeinerBeziehungu Ihnen tehen.''Wennuch,'rwiderte ebukadnezar,es isteineMacht-frage,eine Sacheder Benennungon Selbsthypnose.'(p. 75)

The boundariesfindividualdentity reeitherdissolved mongheexternal"factors"hatconditionxistence,as in ErnstMach'spistemologicalpoin-tillism"19r simplyasserted moreforcefullyhanothers,as in Nietzsche's"DerWillezur Machtals Erkenntnis."2ohe fictionof individualdentityseitherentirelycontingent,or arbitrary.As dilettantes, he characters n


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DONAHUE:esthetics of Carl Einstein 431Bebuquinshare a "SuchtnachOriginalitAit"p. 76), which ncludesboththeircommon goal of reachingmetaphysicalorigins and the novel means to thatend thatdistinguisheseach of them. Thereforethey arejuxtaposed, paradox-ically,in "gemeinsamerEinsamkeit" p. 76).The dissolutionof organic identity eliminatesthe continuityof individualactionandspeech, and of overallplot;this dissolutionanddiscontinuityalloweach "character"o merge freelyat differentpointsintothe leitmotifconstruc-tionof the novelthrough deas andwordassociations.Ineffect, each "charac-ter" becomes a disembodied conglomerationof ideas put into terms ofphysical description, speech and action. Unlike in a novel of thesis, the"characters"are not simply,or not only, mouthpieces for an idea, but alsothemselves representations of that idea, that is to say that the organiccharacterrecedes behind he partsthatfit separately ntothe overall eitmotifconstruction,as does the disintegratedobjectof Cubistpainting.The figureof NebukadnezarB6hm comes closest to representing the aesthetic thatEinstein's work itself seeks to fulfill.As distinctivecharacteristicB6lhmhas "eine silberneHirnschalemit wun-dervollziselierten Ornamenten,inwelche feine, glitzerndeEdelsteinplatteneingelassen waren"(p. 75).a The beveled surface of his craniumreflects,refracts and recombines images:NebukadnezareigtedenKopfiberEuphemiasmassigenBusen.EinSpiegelhing iber hm.Ersah,wie dieBriistesich nden eingeschliffenendelsteinplatteneinesKopfeszu mannigfachenremdenFormeneiltenundblitzten,nFormen,wie sie ihmkeineWirklichkeitisher zu gebenvermochte.DasziselierteSilberbrachundverfeinerte asGlitzenderGestalten.Nebukadnezartarrte ndenSpie-gel, sichgierigfreuend,wie er die Wirklichkeitliedernkonnte,wie seine Seele das SilberunddieSteinewaren,seinAugederSpiegel.(p. 76)B6hm's re-construction of the natural world of Euphemia'sbosom gives aglimpse, also, into the transcendentrealityof other worldlyforms, "wie sieihmkeine Wirklichkeit isher zu geben vermochte,"but on the threshold ofthat other world of forms he "brachzusammen;denn er vermochte immernoch nicht, die Seele der Dinge zu ertragen... sein Leib barst fast imKampfezweiWirklichkeiten."he morecompletehis intellectualparticipationinthatworldofforms,the greateralso the contradiction o hisempirical elf.He falters, necessarily, on the threshold of transcendence, though injoyous proximity:DabeiiiberkamhneinewildeFreude,dab hmseinGehirnausSilber astUnsterblichkeiterlieh,da es jedeErschei-nungpotenzierte,under sein Denkenausschaltenonnte,dankdemprizisenSchliffder SteineunddervollkommenlogischenZiselierung.Mit den Formender Ziselierungkonnteer sicheineneueLogikschaffen,derensichtbareSymboledie Ritzender Kapselwaren.Es vervielfachte


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432 THE GERMANQUARTERLY Summer988seineKraft, rglaubteneineranderen,mmer euenWeltzu sein mitneuenLiisten.(p. 76)

His skull is the reificationof pure intellect and analyticalcerebration thatbreaks down the world of naturalappearancesinto discontinuousparts, asin Cubistpainting;each imageis discrete, beyondthe relativityof its naturalcontext, and more "intense,""da es jede Erscheinung potenzierte." Hisarchitectonic kull ransformsor reassembles the naturalworld ntoanartificefoundedon a "neue[r]Logik,"whose disjunctures,"dieRitzen," ymbolicallyallude to a "neue[ ] Welt,"an invisible worldof pure forms.B6hm explains the principlebehindthat transformation:

Sie sehen,meinesilberneGehirnschalest assymetrisch.DariniegtmeineProduktivit-it.berdensich ortwiihrendverainderndenombinationenerlieren iedasungliickse-ligeGedlichtnisfirdieDingeunddenpeinlichen ang umEndgfiltigen.p. 79)Calculatedasymmetry disruptsour orderedperceptionof the naturalworldand its relations and dissolves "dieDinge"into "fortwtihrender'indemdenKombinationen,"n infiniteand arbitraryrecombinationof constructiveele-ments that transcends, in each new combination, he finite sums of rationaldescription, "den peinlichen Hang zum Endgliltigen."Thus, BWhm'skullrepresents as synecdoche the formal and transcendent autonomyof theamimetic, spatialwork of art.Bohm advocates the analyticaldeformationof the naturalworld and evenadvises Bebuquin:"Abergehen Sie nicht mehr auf zwei Beinen. WarumamputierenSie nicht eins heroisch unter der Bettdecke weg?"(p. 79). Thatwillful ransformationwillappearto the "symmetry"of rational onsiderationas imbalancedandidiotic,but nonsense breaksthe strictures of reason andthereby allows for miracle:

ZuwenigLeute habenden Mutvollkommenl6dsinn usagen. Haiufig iederholter l6dsinnwird ntegrierendesMomentunseresDenkens;bei einergewissenStufederIntelligenznteressiertman ich iirdasKorrekte,Verniinf-tige garnichtmehr.Die Vernunftmachtzu viel Grosses,Erhabenes umGrotesken,Unm6glichen. nder VernunftuiniertenwirGott dieumfassendediosynkrasie.p. 86)To abandonreason for nonsense recovers the transcendentpossibilitiesofreligionor artistic form from the constraining aws of causalityor mimesis.B6hm speaks for all of the "characters"when he pontificates:

Wennman rei undkfihn umLeben nvielenFormenst,wenn manden Tod als ein Vorurteil, inen MangelanPhantasie nsieht,danngehtmanaufsPhantastische,asist dieUnermiidlichkeitnallenm6glichenormen.p.87)


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DONAHUE:esthetics of Carl Einstein 433Uninhibitedonsensevergeson the fantastic ndsuggests, as a denialofworldly eason,an infiniteandeternalworldbeyondnature.B6hmhimselfdies andthen comesback,the ultimatedisplay f sovereign aprice:

Ich zumBeispiel ebe nur,weilich michmirsuggeriere;in Wirklichkeitin ch tot. Sie wissendoch,ichlieBmicheinsargen.Aber ichversprachmir,als Reklame ir dasUnwirklicheerumzulaufen,isirgendeindiot inWunderan mirerlebt.(p. 87)B6hmhasproceeded s faras possible owardhe idealdisintegrationf or-ganicidentityfor the sake of transcendence, but he cannotsucceed to mira-cle; instead,he canonlyreturnas "Reklameffirdas Unwirkliche"nhopesofmediatinghe transcendencef another.ustas eachcharacter eformationreinforceshenegation fidentity yothercharacters,o too does eachposi-tivesheddingfnaturalness,onversely,einforcehe transcendentossibili-ties of the others. Finally,however,what B6hm says of Bebuquin s equallytrueof himself: Sie indeinPhantastmitunzureichendenitteln"p.81).Thedisintegrationf character ndnarrative iscontinuitiesnBebuquinconstitutemplied arratorntrusions;he shapeof the narratives dictatednot by extrinsic aws of mimeticcredibility,ut by the narrator'swillfulattempt o disrupt uch laws. The narrator ollows he aestheticof B6hmin order to adumbratehe miraculoushrough "neueLogik" p. 76) forprose,alogicofapparentonsenseandconstructiveeintegration,famime-tic, spatialabstraction.The narrator, owever, an no moresucceed,ulti-mately, hanthe "characters"; easuredagainst he aimof transcendencethroughmiracle,henarratoroois a "Phantast itunzureichendenitteln."The "characters"eflect andqualifynot only one another,but also thenarrator; hus, they are aware of their own fictiveness: Bebuquincomplains:"welch chlechterRomanstoffinich,da ich nie etwas tunwerde,mich nmirdrehe,"whereasEuphemia mochtedieganzeGeschichtenmichkon-zentrieren."herefore, he narrator an or mustdisplayhe same arbitrar-inessofhis "characters"norder o disintegratessumedauctorial mnisci-ence; he introduces a passage that requires naturalisticdescription andaction: "Es [the automobile]rolltedenAsphaltauf,glitschtefiberdie ReflexederGaslampenndder letztenBummler.etztmagd'Annunzioeiterschrei-ben" (p. 93). His caprice, however,as well as the spatial,leitmotifconstruc-tion of the work both alludeto the subjectivityof the author that precedeshis fiction. Abstractprose attemptsto eliminateor distortmimetic referencesto the naturalworld, as does abstractpainting,in order to reflect insteadboth the subjectivityof the artist and a transcendentreality of form. Thenarrator's ntrusion nto the work includeshiminto his character'squest: inBebuquin'swords, "Herr,gib mir ein Wunder,wir suchen es seit Kapiteleins"(p. 100).The deliverance f miracle emainsoutstandingorallanddooms their quest to failure;Bebuquinends in madness andEinstein turnslater in his career from the religionof art to radicalpolitics.22


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434 THE GERMAN QUARTERLY Summer988Einstein'surn opolitics eflectshisdisillusionmentith hetranscenden-talaestheticshe hadformulatedor himselfandelucidatednformalermsinCubist nd"Primitive"rt.Yethisdisillusionment,is ownsenseoffailure,cannotobscure he contributionf his writingsnterms of 1) the influenceof hisnarrativeheoryandpractice n otherwriters uchasCarlSternheim,GottfriedBennandHugoBall,amongothers;2) the significancefhisartcriticismn not only providing unifiedaestheticunderstandingf (at thetime)suspectavant-gardend"primitive"rtforms,but also inpromotingthe acceptance f non-Western frican rt in Europe;3) the developmentof a criticalmethodology, asedon the notionof spatial orm,forreading

worksofart,both iterary ndplastic/visual,n termsoftheir ntegral oher-ence of form, that is on their own terms, ratherthanas reflectionsofethnographicmportas anthropologicalrtifacts r of intellectualistoryas"Geistesgeschichte."orthese reasonsEinsteindeserves,inbothdistinctphasesofhiscareer, ontinuedttentions acentraligurenourunderstand-ingof German ndEuropeanModernism.

NotesSee SibyllePenkert,CarlEinstein:BeitrigezueinerMonographieG6ttingen: andenhoeck& Ruprecht, 969),pp. 122-24.Penkert ncludesEinstein'sadioeulogyof BuenaventuraDurruti,he Syndicalisteader pp.146-49).

2 PenkertdocumentsEinstein's articipationn the November 917Brusselsrevolutionpp.81-86).3 Cf.ArthurKoestler, cumof theEarth(London, 955),citedbyPenkert,p. 126.4 HisNegerplastik,owever, auseda sensationwhen t appeared, nd t receiveda secondprinting yKurtWolffVerlagn 1920.Hisprestigeas an artcriticed to hiscomprehensiveDieKunst es20. ahrhunderts,ropylAenunstgeschichte,d.16 Berlin: ropylAen,926).5 Penkert,p. 91, letterto TonySimon-Wolfskehl.6 HelmutHei3enbuttel, berLiteratur.ufsiatzeOlten;Walter,966;DeutscherTaschenbuch

Verlag, 972),p. 36.7 ReinholdGrimm irected ttention o Einstein ndestablished solidconnectiono Benn nhis essay "Vathekn Deutschland: weiZwischenftillehneFolgen?" evuedeLittiraturecomparee,8 (1964),127-35.Headmonishes ennscholarshat heconnectiono Einsteinhasbeen "bishertrMlichernachlhissigt"p. 133).RainerRumold emonstratesuthorita-tivelyBenn's ebt oEinsteinnGottfriedBennndderExpressionismusK6nigstein:criptor,1982).8 Schulte-Sasse'sssay is forthcomingn the volumeTheExperiencef Modernitynd theModernist ext, NewYork:Columbia niv.Press), editedbyDavidBathrick ndAndreasHuyssen. thankAndreasHuyssenorallowing eto read heessaybeforetspublication.9WilhelmWorringer,bstraktionndEinfiihlung: in Beitrag urStilpsychologieMiinchen:Piper,1919).

1oAllreferences o CarlEinstein.Werke. and1 1908-1918,d. Rolf-PeterBaacke Berlin:Medusa,1980).n In hisessay"FromAfrica"pp.125-75) nWilliam ubin'satalogue,"Primitivism"n20thCentury rt:Affinity ftheTribal nd theModernNewYork: heMuseum fModernArt,1984),Jean-Louis audrat otes that"CarlEinstein'sNegerplastik as a book of primeimportance,otonlyfor its prioritynthehistoryof ideasabout he artsofAfrica utalsofortherelevance f itsanalyses nd hebreadthftheillustrationstcontains.. "(p. 151).Paudrat'sssayrecounts,withexactchronology,he ntroductionnddisseminationfAfricansculpturen Europe nd he interest t began o exciteamong rtistsandcritics.Ofspecial


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DONAHUE:Aestheticsof CarlEinstein 435interest s his discussion f the Hungarianrt dealerJosephBrummer,who encouragedEinstein'sproject,"financedts publication"ndmade available is collection f Africansculpturesor llustrations.oradditionaliscussionf the historicalircumstancesnd ntel-lectual ontext f theseearlyaccountsfAfricanrt,seeYve-Alainois's rticle Kahnweiler'sLesson,"nRepresentationsSpring 987),pp.33-68. Inaddition,ostHermand'siteratur-wissenschaftndKunstwissenschaft:ethodischeWechselbeziehungeneit 1900 (Stuttgart:Metzler,1965)provideselevantontextsnart-historicalcholarshiporEinstein'sormalism,thoughhe makesnomention f Einstein.On intensityas a definingprinciple f Expressionism,ee FritzMartini, d., ProsadesExpressionismusStuttgart:Reclam,1970),p. 6. Comparelso Richard rinkmann'sssay"'Abstrakte'yrikm Expressionismusnd die Moglichkeitymbolischer ussage"nDerdeutschexpressionismus:ormen ndGestalten,d. HansSteffen G6ttingen: andenhoeck&Ruprecht,965),pp.88-114.Brinkmannommentsp.88)that"EinGemeinsames enig-stens ist die Intensitit,mit der sich alldiese Leute, theoretisch derpraktisch, mdieSprachebemiihen.Kaumeine Epoche n der deutschenLiteraturgeschichteat sich mitsolcherLeidenschaft, itsolchemPathosbiszumKrampfmitderSprache,hrenMoglichkei-ten undGrenzen, hrer Knechtschaft ndFreiheit, hrerSpr6digkeitndHingabe,hrerVerschleierungndEnthiillungerumgeschlagen."LWalter okelnotesrightlyhatEinstein ereanticipateshe centraldea nMusil'sDerMannohneEigenschaften1930).Walter okel,"DieProsades Expressionismus,"nExpressionis-mus als Literatur:Gesammeltetudien,ed. Wolfgang othe(Bern& Miinchen: rancke,1969)pp. 153-70.14ForEinstein'snfluence nDADA,ee WilhelmKrull,ProsadesExpressionismusStuttgart:Metzler, 984),p. 35 onBebuquin:Sowohlxpressionistischelsauchdadaistische utorenberufensich in ihrentheoretischen chriften ufdiesenRomanessay, ennes gilt, deneigenen iteraturgeschichtlichentandortubestimmen."oramoredetailed, eneral ccountof these relations, ee Hans-GeorgKemper,VomExpressionismusumDadaismusK6nig-stein:Scriptor, 974).1 Cf. HeidemarieOehm,Die KunsttheoriearlEinsteins Miinchen:Wilhelm ink,1976).Oehm's tudy s the onlyfulltreatment f Einstein'sworkand ts theoretical ackground.Mybrief reatment ere ofBebuquins to my knowledgehe first n English. quote hepassagesfromOehm hatdirectly upportor shapedmy ownthoughts.See pp. 101-02:"Indemassekzessiv eleologischeMoment erZeitweitgehend usgeschaltet ird .. undzu einemSimultandon Beziehungenverriumlicht'ird,wirdgleichzeitig ie Autonomiedes Romans estirkt.... DieAbl6sunges Wortes onseiner dentifizierendeskriptivenFunktion ndseinegleichzeitige iicknahmendiePotentialitditinerm6glichen eziehungs-vielfaltmachen s zumBestandteil ines total n sichgeschlossenen, ontextuellenerwei-sungsgeffiges, assichin deranalogischen bwandlung,nder leitmotivischenepetition,inder kontrastierendenariationtc. der Zeichen ealisiert."

16 See Oehm'sdiscussionpp. 103-05)of the nameBebuquins a "total"ubstantivendofthe formal ignificancef the motifof infantilitynthe novel:"Gerade berdie Dissoziationder substanzhaften,onstanten erson des Bebuquinn ein SimultandnalogischerndkontrastierenderiguralerKomplexe, ie 'metamorphotische'dentittit wischenBebuquinunddiesenmacht .. dasStrukturprinzipes Romans us .... [D]erName elbstdeutetdannbereitsan,dal3 s sichbeiBebuquinmeinemultiple ersonhandelt, meineKunstfiguralso, die es in derempirischenWeltnichtgibt,die vielmehr rtifiziellls AquivalentinersubjektiveitlichenAnschauungonstruiert urde, o wie derGegenstandes kubistischenBildes die nichtillusionistischeekonstruktioninersubjektivaumlichen nschauungst"(p. 105).7 Oehm,p. 108,citesBourget'sEssais epsychologieontemporaine"1881): C'est eaucoupmoinsunedoctrine u'une ispositionel'espritresintelligente afoiset tresvoluptueuse,quinous ncline oura tourversles formesdiversesde la vieet nousconduit nouspreteratoutes ces formessans nous donneraaucune."18Cf.Oehm,p. 114:"DieVergeblichkeitiesesUnterfangensrkenntBebuquinelbst,wenner balddarauf agt: 'Dieses kindliche uchennach einemAnfangwirdmichschdidigen.'DennochunternimmtebuquinasExperiment, urchdievorsitzlicheDestruktioneinesempirischench zu einemursprunglichen,ch6pferischenelbstzu gelangen,diejedochnichtzu dem von hmerhofftenNeuen iihrt,sondernnWahnsinnndParalyse ndet."


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436 THE GERMANQUARTERLY Summer988" ErnstMach,DieAnalyse erEmpfindungennddasVerhailtnisesPhysischenumPsychischen(1885).I quote he ninth dition Jena:GustavFischer,1922),pp.20-21:"Nicht as Ich st

dasPrimnire,ondern ieElementeEmpfindungen)... DieElemente ilden asIch ...Das Ich ist keineunver'inderliche,estimmte charfbegrenzteEinheit... Das Ichistunrettbar."" Oehm,p. 115.21 Oehmpp.117-18)races hemetaphorf ewelsbacko MallarmendFrench ymbolism.22Cf. Oehmpp. 159 ff. (PartTwoof herbookdescribesEinstein'surn oward materialistconceptionf reality).

PROGRAMTITLE: Concepts of History in German Cinema:An InternationalConferenceDATES OF PROGRAM: October 27-30, 1988PROGRAMLOCATION: The Universityof Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, IllinoisDESCRIPTION: This four-dayconference providesa forumfor interdisci-

plinarydebate on Germancinema'sportrayalof history.It willfocus on the cinematic nstitution,attitudestowardsnationalheritage, public opinionabout contemporaryis-sues, andother factors that haveinfluencedthe selectionandtreatment of topics fromhistory.The conference willrun from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday throughSaturday,and from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sunday.The programwillconsist of paper presentations, filmscreenings, open dis-cussions, and social activities.Presentations will address the following opics: conceptsof agency * cinema as agent in history*individual/nationalidentity formation and historicalsubjects * the influenceof modernityand post-modernityon the portrayalof his-tory * history as metaphorfor the present ...

SPEAKERS: Roger Cook * David Culbert * Thomas Elsaesser *WolfgangGast*MichaelGeisler*SabineHake*Jan-Chris-topher Horak * SheilaJohnson * Anton Kaes * GertrudKoch * WolfgangNatter * Hans-Helmut Prinzler * EricRentschler* Eric Santner*Tom Saunders* MarcSilber-man * Gabriele Weinberger* Other speakers, includingthree from the GDR, to be announced.

SPONSOR: The Departmentof German, College of LiberalArts andSciences, The Universityof Illinoisat ChicagoFOR FURTHER The University of Illinois at Chicago, Conferences andINFORMATION Institutes (M/C607), 912 S. WoodSt., Chicago,IL60612Conference Registrar: (312) 996-5225

Documents

Donahue N. (1988) Analysis and Construction. the Aesthetics of Carl Einstein