Naked Truth - Viennese Modernism and the Body

Uncovers the interplay of the physical and the aesthetic that shaped Viennese modernism and offers a new interpretation of this moment in the history of the West. Viennese modernism is often described in terms of a fin-de-siècle fascination with the psyche. But this stereotype of the movement as essentially cerebral overlooks a rich cultural history of the body. The Naked Truth, an interdisciplinary tour de force, addresses this lacuna, fundamentally recasting the visual, literary, and performative cultures of Viennese modernism through an innovative focus on the corporeal.   Alys X. George explores the modernist focus on the flesh by turning our attention to the second Vienna medical school, which revolutionized the field of anatomy in the 1800s. As she traces the results of this materialist influence across a broad range of cultural forms-exhibitions, literature, portraiture, dance, film, and more-George brings into dialogue a diverse group of historical protagonists, from canonical figures such as Egon Schiele, Arthur Schnitzler, Joseph Roth, and Hugo von Hofmannsthal to long-overlooked ones, including author and doctor Marie Pappenheim, journalist Else Feldmann, and dancers Grete Wiesenthal, Gertrud Bodenwieser, and Hilde Holger. She deftly blends analyses of popular and "high" culture, laying to rest the notion that Viennese modernism was an exclusively male movement. The Naked Truth uncovers the complex interplay of the physical and the aesthetic that shaped modernism and offers a striking new interpretation of this fascinating moment in the history of the West.  

About the author

Alys X. George is an award-winning researcher and educator, specializing in modern Austrian and German culture and cultural history. She lives in New York City and Vienna, and has taught at New York University, the University of Notre Dame, and Stanford University.

Summary

Viennese Modernism and the Body. Uncovers the interplay of the physical and the aesthetic that shaped Viennese modernism and offers a new interpretation of this moment in the history of the West.

Product details

• Authors: Alys X. George
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.01.2022
• EAN: 9780226819969
• ISBN: 978-0-226-81996-9
• No. of pages: 328
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative literary studies; HISTORY / Europe / Germany, European History, Germany, PHILOSOPHY / History & Surveys / Modern, 20th Century, HISTORY / World, Philosophy, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, LITERARY CRITICISM / European / German, HISTORY / Europe / Austria & Hungary, General & world history, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, Literature: history & criticism, Empires & historical states, General and world history, Literature: history and criticism, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Humanist & Secular Alternatives To Religion, Humanist philosophy