Abstract
Heidegger's discussions of Hölderlin's poetry plays an important role in his philosophy of existence. However, it also sparks great controversies, which mainly focus on whether the Heideggerian interpretation implies Heidegger’s “Fighting Spirit” of devoting himself to reality. This article does not view such controversy as a theme of significance, but examines how such a convoluted thought in Heidegger’s philosophy of existence is related to the historical depth as he’s perceived., The relation is expressed through the interpretation of poetry, and the philosophy of existence places Hölderlin’s poetry in the same critical temporal point when a nation faces a decisive historical moment for a new prospect. At this juncture, poetry is related to history, philosophical thinking and even politics, to construct a “historical Dasein” within this world. The paper explores the implications of how historical consciousness permeated with philosophical thinking is thoroughly combined with poetic understanding. This article also tackles the issue concerning Derrida’s deconstruction of Heidegger’s thoughts on “spirit,” claiming that this action of Derris’s has so incisively and subtly penetrated Heidegger’s “historical consciousness.”
Keywords
beginning; historical consciousness; destiny; spirit; ashes
First Page
37
Last Page
68
Recommended Citation
Chen, Xiaoming. 2022. "Beginning, Renewal and Spirit or Ashes: On Heidegger's Historical Consciousness in His Discussions of Hölderlin's Poetry." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 42, (5): pp.37-68. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol42/iss5/4
