Preface to the English Edition  vii

Translator's Preface  xi

1. The Project of Renewing Childhood by Transforming One's Life  1

2. Critical Theory  11

3. Reason's Self-Criticism  18

Defined Negation  20

The Two Faces of Enlightenment  26

4. Rescuing What is Beyond Hope  34

Philosophy from the Perspective of Redemption  34

Primacy of the Object  38

5. The Totally Socialized Society  51

The Concept of Society  52

Liquidation of the Individual  58

Critical Theory on Morality  68

6. The Goal of the Emancipated Society  77

7. The Powerless Utopia of Beauty  91

The Destruction and Salvation of Art  93

The Silence of Music  102

The Transition from Art to Knowledge  109

Theorizing Art and Culture in the Institute for Social Research  112

Benjamin and Kracauer: Theorizing Mass Art  120

Anarchistic and Bourgeois Romanticism: Adorno's Critique of Benjamin  125

The Work of Art and the Concept of Truth  128

8. The Failure of Culture  136

The Radically Pathetic and Guilty Culture  137

Enlightenment as Mass Deception  144

Biographical Timeline  159

Notes  163

Bibliography  171

Index  179

“This volume by Schweppenhauser is one of the best short books on this elusive and allusive figure, whereas his ‘more selective treatment, thematically via core concepts variously deployed, engages directly with Adorno’s thinking. Successive chapters are ranged dialectically against one another. . . . In short, the book exemplifies Adorno’s non-identity thinking.”—M. Donougho, Choice

“[Schweppenhäuser’s] book (now expanded and available in English in James Rolleston’s brisk and lucid translation) provides a concise but astonishingly thorough overview of the main elements of Adorno’s thought, while simultaneously highlighting both Adorno’s importance as a thinker and his continued relevance for today.”—Erica Weitzman, German Quarterly

“[I]t is fair to say that appreciating the brilliance and fecundity of Adorno’s thought remains a difficult challenge. . . . [G]iven the difficulties that are bound to be experienced, any reader new to him is likely to be eternally
grateful for the existence of Gerard Schweppenhäuser’s introductory volume. . . . Schweppenhäuser’s text is never less than eminently read -
able and often deeply insightful and it serves to remind us how, in an age dominated by consumerism, this great thinker’s ideas remain deeply relevant.”—Peter Sedgwick, Times Higher Education Supplement

“[T]his book offers an excellent introduction to the work of Theodor Adorno and can become recommended reading for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in philosophy, literary criticism, aesthetics and political theory. James Rolleston has provided a great service to scholars of all those disciplines by making Schweppenhäuser’s Theodor W. Adorno: An Introduction available to English speaking scholars world-wide.”—Frank D. Casale, Pennsylvania Literary Journal

“Schweppenhäuser is intimately familiar with the complexity of Adorno’s thought, but he is able to truly translate and introduce these ideas in a remarkably clear, engaging, jargon-free, and highly readable language.”—Shannon Mariotti, Review of Politics

“The book's general clarity, breadth and depth of understanding make it a valuable, informative and advanced introduction to one of the more complex thinkers of the twentieth century.”—Paul Mazzocchi, Political Studies Review

“In this work, Schweppenhäuser, through his lucid representation of Adorno’s often esoteric prose, which is augmented by James Rolleston’s exemplary
translation, and his erudite comparison with similar theorists, presents us
with an examination of Adorno that remains faithful to the theorist’s own
commitment to an interdisciplinary and contextually aware approach to
philosophy.”—Steven Leddin, International Journal of Philosophical Studies

“This volume by Schweppenhauser is one of the best short books on this elusive and allusive figure, whereas his ‘more selective treatment, thematically via core concepts variously deployed, engages directly with Adorno’s thinking. Successive chapters are ranged dialectically against one another. . . . In short, the book exemplifies Adorno’s non-identity thinking.”—M. Donougho, Choice

“[Schweppenhäuser’s] book (now expanded and available in English in James Rolleston’s brisk and lucid translation) provides a concise but astonishingly thorough overview of the main elements of Adorno’s thought, while simultaneously highlighting both Adorno’s importance as a thinker and his continued relevance for today.”—Erica Weitzman, German Quarterly

“[I]t is fair to say that appreciating the brilliance and fecundity of Adorno’s thought remains a difficult challenge. . . . [G]iven the difficulties that are bound to be experienced, any reader new to him is likely to be eternally
grateful for the existence of Gerard Schweppenhäuser’s introductory volume. . . . Schweppenhäuser’s text is never less than eminently read -
able and often deeply insightful and it serves to remind us how, in an age dominated by consumerism, this great thinker’s ideas remain deeply relevant.”—Peter Sedgwick, Times Higher Education Supplement

“[T]his book offers an excellent introduction to the work of Theodor Adorno and can become recommended reading for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in philosophy, literary criticism, aesthetics and political theory. James Rolleston has provided a great service to scholars of all those disciplines by making Schweppenhäuser’s Theodor W. Adorno: An Introduction available to English speaking scholars world-wide.”—Frank D. Casale, Pennsylvania Literary Journal

“Schweppenhäuser is intimately familiar with the complexity of Adorno’s thought, but he is able to truly translate and introduce these ideas in a remarkably clear, engaging, jargon-free, and highly readable language.”—Shannon Mariotti, Review of Politics

“The book's general clarity, breadth and depth of understanding make it a valuable, informative and advanced introduction to one of the more complex thinkers of the twentieth century.”—Paul Mazzocchi, Political Studies Review

“In this work, Schweppenhäuser, through his lucid representation of Adorno’s often esoteric prose, which is augmented by James Rolleston’s exemplary
translation, and his erudite comparison with similar theorists, presents us
with an examination of Adorno that remains faithful to the theorist’s own
commitment to an interdisciplinary and contextually aware approach to
philosophy.”—Steven Leddin, International Journal of Philosophical Studies

“This superb introduction to Adorno’s complex and difficult work is full of extraordinary insights, which will benefit the old hands as well as the beginners.”—Fredric Jameson, Duke University

“This is a clear and concise overview of Theodor W. Adorno’s philosophical, political, sociological, and aesthetic thought, written by a brilliant German critical theorist. Gerhard Schweppenhäuser covers all the central topics in Adorno’s writing, shows a firm grasp not only of his work but also of the secondary literature on it, and relates his thought to the more recent theoretical literature that has challenged it.”—George Steinmetz, University of Michigan

“Theodor W. Adorno: An Introduction is a useful survey of Adorno’s thought. It is concise, written in plain language, and focused on the most important topics and themes of the theorist’s work. Gerhard Schweppenhäuser gives basic background about the intellectual and historical context of Adorno’s thought and writings, and he makes a convincing case for the internal coherence of a complex and at times apparently heterogeneous body of work.”—Uwe Steiner, Rice University

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