UC Irvine

Botho Strauss's (1993) attempts to resurrect a premodern approach to German culture centered on themes such as the sacred & myth is defended against those who see it as a resurgence of Nazi themes. This attempt to reintroduce the power of a traditional religion-based culture is based on three claims about culture: (1) A crisis of values is inevitable for a society organized around economic prosperity. (2) Tradition-based authority is essential for the building of individuals. (3) Violence against scapegoats is necessary for the maintenance of social order. The idea of the sacred & its relation to myth, imagination, & the sublime are made central to political organization. On all these issues, Strauss is invoked as an alternative to the standard liberal positions derived from Immanuel Kant. Strauss is criticized for privileging German language over concrete interpersonal relations, which serves to render his notions of sacred & community into a contrived nationalism that removes art from the everyday. A reading of Strauss's works provides an example of how myth can provide meaning to recent German history. H. von Rautenfeld