Epochal Discordance: Hölderlin's Philosophy of Tragedy

Friedrich Holderlin must be considered not only a significant poet but also a philosophically important thinker within German Idealism. In both capacities, he was crucially preoccupied with the question of tragedy, yet, surprisingly, this book is the first in English to explore fully his philosophy of tragedy. Focusing on the thought of Hegel, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Reiner Schurmann, Veronique M. Foti discusses the tragic turning in German philosophy that began at the close of the eighteenth century to provide a historical and philosophical context for an engagement with Holderlin. She goes on to examine the three fragmentary versions of Holderlin's own tragedy, The Death of Empedocles, together with related essays, and his interpretation of Sophoclean tragedy. Foti also addresses the relationship of his character Empedocles to the pre-Socratic philosopher and concludes by examining Heidegger's dialogue with Holderlin concerning tragedy and the tragic. Book jacket.

Veronique M. Foti is Professor of Philosophy at Penn State at University Park