The Aesthetics of Horror - The Life and Thought of Richard von Kralik (Hardcover, New)

Austrian-born Richard von Kralik (1852-1934), the so-called poet laureate of Christian Socialism, espoused such hauntingly familiar themes as the "Christian-Germanic ideal of beauty" and the "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation." Kralik wielded the tool of propaganda for the Christian Socialists and realized the powerful draw of nationalism when couched in art, poetry, music, and literature. Although Kralik seems to have had no direct influence upon Adolf Hitler, his quest for "pure" German culture and his use of propaganda to achieve those ends share a marked resemblance to the tactics of the Third Reich. Professor Richard Geehr pays meticulous attention to historical detail, avails himself of all available sources, and assesses judiciously Richard von Kralik's life and influence in late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century Austria.