Disorder and Early Love - The Eroticism of Thomas Mann

The Mann biographies published so far have largely sidestepped, belittled, or even distorted crucial aspects of his life and work. In particular, Mann's eroticism--a homoeroticism that distanced itself from fulfillment and posited romantic yearning as the driving force of all creative activity--formed the lifelong counterpoint to the reality of his status as a husband and father. Influenced by this eros, all of Mann's writings more or less openly expressed it. The topic influenced his thinking so much that, in a public speech following WW I, he suggested homoeroticism as an appropriate ideological basis for the new German democracy. In this comprehensive exploration of Thomas Mann's writings--including his journals and his correspondence with family, friends, and writers who influenced him--Dr. Lederer demonstrates that repressed homosexuality permeates all of Mann's work, and that while never having actually allowed himself a homosexual liaison, he yearned for it all his life.

Product details

• Authors: Wolfgang Lederer
• Publisher: Cypress House
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.08.2011
• EAN: 9781879384804
• ISBN: 978-1-879384-80-4
• No. of pages: 1357
• Dimensions: 159 mm x 233 mm x 69 mm
• Weight: 1630 g
• Subject: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > German linguistics / literary studies