HERMANN HESSE AND THE DIALECTICS OF TIME Salvatore C. P. ...

Ewigkeit 1st blofi ein Augenblick, gerade lange genug fur einen Spafi. 21 (SW 4,
96-97)
Hesse's 'Humor', as scholars such as Freedman, Ziolkowski, Boulby, and Hollis point
out, stems from Romantic irony and serves the purpose of bridging the gap between
the ideal and reality, this coming to the fore in works such as Die Nurnberger Reise,
Kurgast (1925), and Der Steppenwolf. In the close of the chapter (section 6.6), Hesse's
narrative irony will be under scrutiny and its limitations underlined as a hindrance
to the attainment of that immortal status for which Hesse, along with most of his
characters, express a fervent longing.
While drawing on the interrelation of the abovementioned themes (music,
memory, metamorphosis, eternity, and humour), as well as their connections with
time within Hesse's work, this thesis investigates a further feauture of temporality,
namely dialectics, which informs Hesse's thought at various levels. The antithetical
nature of time, which is both a creator and a destroyer, resonates powerfully with the
dialectics underpinning Hesse's theoretical framework (see Chapter I). 22 As noted
above, the interplay of the ideal and reality is the blueprint of Romantic irony as well
as the backbone of virtually all works by Hesse, whose dialectics unfolds through the
dynamic confrontation of polar opposites and the attempt to reconcile them, in an
ideal synthesis. Hesse's artistry draws on the pendulation between antitheses (light
and darkness, mind and matter, separation and unity, life and death) and his
dialectical approach extends to music, memory, metamorphosis, and eternity.
Hesse's fascination with the sonata form and the fugue can be traced back to the
dialectical interaction of themes of the former and the simultaneous interplay of
21 In this context, it should be noted that, although laughter is a distinctive feature of the Immortals, the Tractat
vom Steppenwolf identifies 'Humour' as an attribute of time, an intermediate, earthly stage for those individuals
who are not yet ready to abandon the contentment of the bourgeoisie ('die Atmosphare der Biirgererde'; SW 4,
57) in order to follow the path to that leads to eternity ('ins Kosmische'; ibid.). Section 6.4 seeks to show that
these seemingly contradictory facets of Hesse's 'Humor' are in fact complementary.
22 The dialectial nature of time finds expression in cultures of various epochs and regions. In Greek mythology,
time is linked with Kronos and Khronos, often considered as two sides of the same divinity. The former was a
titan (father of Zeus) associated with his destructive power since he overthrew his father Ouranos and then, for
fear he would suffer the same fate, ate his own offspring. The second, also known as Aeon, was the
personification of time and eternity. The figure of Kronos who devours what he generates resonates with the
Hindu god Shiva 'India's Lord Shiva is called 'great time' and 'all-devouring time'; he embodies universal
energy, both active and destructive. [...] Through his dance Shiva awakens inert matter, animates the inanimate
world and brings forth the cycles of time: birth and death, creation and destruction' (Adam, 7). As indicated in
section 3.5, 'Whistling and dancing', Shiva is part of Hesse's imagery.