Beyond Nihilism: Gottfried Benn’s Postmodernist Poetics

Ray’s (German, Fordham University) study of Benn’s work emphasizes the parallel between the Ausdruckwelt and current trends in literary criticism. Situating Benn’s poetics in the context of the early 20th century’s literary crisis and teasing apart his Nietzschean influences, Ray describes Benn as a forerunner of postmodernism. She gives particular