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This book focuses on Hugo von Hofmannsthal's intense, lifelong concentration upon a single cohesive set of poetic, philosophical and ethical concerns, a quality of his work which has been neglected in the bulk of existing scholarship. Professor Bennett examines Hofmannsthal's work in the context of literary theory and the history of philosophy, referring especially to Nietzsche, German Idealism and the poetics of German Classicism. He identifies three principal areas of concern to Hofmannsthal: the theory of genre, the question of the role of literature in society and the search for a fruitful response to the problem of the historical development of culture. The argument proceeds by way of detailed interpretation of texts, including Der Tor und der Tod, the Chandos letter, Ariadne auf Naxos, Der Schwierige, Das Salzburger Grosse Welttheater and Der Turm.