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Theodor Adorno

By Ross Wilson

Published November 29th 2007 by Routledge – 146 pages

Series: Routledge Critical Thinkers

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Description

The range of Adorno's achievement, and the depth of his insights, is breathtaking and daunting. His work on literary, artistic, and musical forms, his devastating indictment of modern industrial society, and his profound grasp of Western culture from Homer to Hollywood have made him one of the most significant figures in twentieth-century thought.

As one of the main philosophers of the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory, Adorno’s influence on literary theory, cultural studies, and philosophical aesthetics has been immense. His wide-ranging authorship is significant also to continental philosophy, political theory, art criticism, and musicology. Key ideas discussed in this guide include:

  • art and aesthetics
  • fun and free time
  • nature and reason
  • things, thoughts and being right

This Routledge Critical Thinkers guide will equip readers with the tools required to critically interpret Adorno’s major works, whilst also introducing readers to his interpretation of classical German philosophy and his relationship to the most significant of his contemporaries.

Contents

Why Adorno?: Key Ideas 1. Dialectic of Enlightenment 2. Fun 3. Life Does Not Live 4. Authentic Art 5. Truth 6. Redemption 7. Philosophy, Still. After Adorno. Further Reading. Index

Author Bio

Ross Wilson is Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellow in the faculty of English, Cambridge University. His research interests include the history and theory of literary criticism, philosophical aesthetics, British Romantic poetry and poetics, and eighteenth-century and Romantic theories of language.