Austrian Dimension in German Intellectual History

Tracing Austrian intellectual life from Maria Theresa to Hitler's annexation of Austria and Czechoslovakia this innovative book offers a precise and engaging account of Austrian intellectual history since the Enlightenment.<br/><br/> Here David S. Luft begins by locating his narrative in the region known as Cisleithanian Austria the area to the west of the Leitha River that was the basis for the modern Austrian state after 1740. Chapter 2 provides a history of the German-speaking intellectual life of these central lands of the Habsburg Monarchy (Austria and Bohemia) from the Enlightenment to annexation by Nazi Germany. Chapters 3 to 5 identify the most important philosophers writers and social thinkers who contributed to Austrian intellectual life in the period between 1740 and 1938/1939 and address the intellectual significance of their work.<br/> <br/> Elegantly written and meticulously researched Luft's book brings out the contributions of major figures such as Wittgenstein Hofmannsthal Musil Kafka Rilke and Freud but also draws attention to less well-known figures such as Bolzano Brentano Grillparzer Stifter Broch and Hayek.