This Great Allegory

“This Great Allegory is an extraordinarily rich, searching, and thought-provoking meditation that weaves through an impressive array of philosophical and literary texts, media, and genres, offering fine-grained readings at every turn. Taking his point of departure in Heidegger—and the authors read by Heidegger (especially Hölderlin) as well as those who read him (especially Derrida)—Richter explores the constellation of world, finitude, loss, mourning, death, and the fragile constitution of the subject. In the course of this investigation Richter makes a strong case for the centrality of the artwork and for the seemingly infinite work of interpretation that every artwork solicits.”

Rebecca Comay, Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Literature, University of Toronto

“From the opening vignette to the final chapter, Richter uses Heidegger's thought-model to explore a vast array of works in novel and exciting ways. His careful manner of explicating and challenging theoretical texts and artistic enterprises on a highly nuanced, philological level makes for engaging reading. This Great Allegory is sure to have an important and lasting impact in the fields of literary studies, aesthetics, the history of philosophy, cultural studies, and related areas of research. I can think of no recent title that covers the same ground, and certainly none that does so with the same élan and intellectual flair.”

John Hamilton, William R. Kenan Professor of German and Comparative Literature, Harvard University

“This Great Allegory is a stunning display of thinking that moves effortlessly between philosophical texts, artworks, and poetry, and through which Richter emerges as one of the pre-eminent thinkers of his generation.”

Dimitris Vardoulakis, Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Australasian Society for Continental Philosophy, University of Western Sydney