Topics in German Intellectual History: Hans Blumenberg and 20th Century Thought

Hans Blumenberg has long been recognized as a cultural theorist of major significance, and yet confusion still persists as to the developmental arc of his career and a number of its governing themes. Focusing on his literary theoretical texts, along with cultural and media theoretical as well as properly philosophical ones, this seminar explores Blumenberg's dialogue with, among others, Arendt, Cassirer, Goethe, Husserl, and Valéry. We will also discuss Blumenberg's reflections on such related issues as rhetoric, small forms, the novel, secularization, and modernity.