Hello German list,
I wonder if anyone could inform me of the likelihood or otherwise of
Theodor Adorno having known much about the history of the Moravian
church? I've got interested in a phrase that Adorno uses in *Ästhetische
Theorie*, where, talking about artworks, he refers to 'den verborgenen
Keimen des Überlebens' (which Robert Hullot-Kentor translates as 'the
hidden seed of their survival' -- the 'their' is an unhelpful
disambiguation to my mind, but that's another story). I got to wondering
what, if anything, is behind this phrase. Of course, there's the parable
of the sower in St Mark, but it also turns out from a bit of
internet-based research that Jan Comenius prayed, on the destruction of
his church, that God would preserve a 'hidden seed' that would one day
grow into a tree. This seems like a promising source for Adorno for a
variety of reasons, but, apart from the fact that Gershom Scholem
appears to have mentioned Moravianism to Adorno in a letter, and perhaps
through what he knew about Janáček, I can't trace any further knowledge
(or likely knowledge) Adorno would have had of this history. So, any
hints gratefully received!
All the best, Ross
--
Dr Ross Wilson
Lecturer in Criticism
Faculty of English
University of Cambridge
9 West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DP
(01223) (3)35039
Fellow and Lecturer in English
Trinity College
Trinity Street, Cambridge, CB2 1TQ
(01223) (3)38440
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