Dialogue on the Threshold

Ian Alexander Moore is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University and a faculty member at St. John's College. He is the author of Eckhart, Heidegger, and the Imperative of Releasement, also published by SUNY Press.

"This academically brilliant monograph discusses the interplay between philosophy and poetry, using the example of Heidegger's temporary interest in the Austrian expressionist poet Georg Trakl … Moore's book presents itself as a demonstration of an initiation into real philosophical work, and thus into critical thinking, of which there is indeed a dearth in our sad, decayed, and divided age." — Heidegger Studies"…it will be difficult to offer even a mere summary of Moore's fine work, much less to offer any suggestions or criticisms. The criticisms, in any case, would be no more than expressions of gratitude to the author of the work, gratitude for the immense effort that has gone into this work on the threshold." — David Farrell Krell, Gatherings: The Heidegger Circle Annual"…Moore's text is a tour de force of the later Heidegger's thinking of being. Moore provides access to much of Heidegger's thinking, sources, and marginalia on Trakl that have heretofore either been unavailable or unavailable in English. Beyond this, he develops trenchant critiques of Heidegger via an engagement with Derridean deconstruction." — Symposium"One thing will be apparent to any reader of Ian Alexander Moore's Dialogue on the Threshold: this is a singularly impressive work of scholarship … Dialogue on the Threshold, in short, is exemplary of what it means to inherit Heidegger critically without either cheap polemic or unconvincing apologetics." — Research in Phenomenology"This is an extremely impressive book. Full of original insights and meticulous scholarship, as well as new primary source material that is not available elsewhere, Dialogue on the Threshold establishes Moore among the leading Heidegger scholars of his generation." — Robert Bernasconi, Pennsylvania State University

• List of ImagesAcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsNote on TranslationsIntroductionChapter 1: "The Poet of Our Generation": Heidegger Reads Trakl1. Discovering the Poet (Thanks to a Journal for the Avant-Garde) 2. Lecturing at a Luxury Resort 3. Speaking of Language4. Celebrating Trakl, Saving the West5. Post eventum6. Annotating the Trakl BibleChapter 2: Language of Bread and Wine1. Gesture, the Inexpressible, and the Speaking of the Unspoken2. Language of Earth and Sky3. Digression on Christianity4. Language of Body and BloodChapter 3: For the Love of Detachment1. The Problem of Polysemy2. Heidegger's Placement of Detachment3. Abgeschiedenheit in (Our?) Middle High German 4. Heidegger's Early Acquaintance with Detachment 5. Deconstructing Detachment 6. Pour l'amour de l'AbgeschiedenheitChapter 4: Pain Is Being Itself1. Heidegger's On Pain2. Ernst Jünger: On or beyond Pain? 3. Via doloris heideggeriana4. Zum Schmerz selbst! 5. The Gentle Gathering of Pain6. Algos: An Etymological Excursus7. In the Name of Schmerz8. "ein gewaltiger Schmerz": Trakl's "Grodek" Chapter 5: Poetic Colors of the Holy: Trakl with Pindar1. Chrusology, Ontology, Hierology2. Sacré bleu3. A Heideggerian Farbenlehre? 4. (Un)holy Madness: Trakl with Hölderlin and CelanChapter 6: Geschlecht1. "A Grand Discourse on Sexual Difference" 2. The Wild Blue Game3. HumanimalitChapter 7: Spirit in Tatters1. The Promise2. The Promise, Painfully Broken3. "Grodek" ReduxPostscriptAppendix 1: Heidegger's Trakl Marginalia1. Background2. Marginalia in the Zurich Edition3. Marginalia to "Into an Old Family Album" Appendix 2: Heidegger's Occasional References to TraklAppendix 3: References to Trakl's Works in "Language in the Poem" Appendix 4: Selected Poems by TraklAbendländisches Lied / Song of the Occident An den Knaben Elis / To the Boy Elis An Novalis / To Novalis Das Herz / The Heart De profundis / Out of the Depths Der Tau des Frühlings / The Dew of Spring Frühling der Seele / Springtime of the Soul Geistliche Dämmerung / Spiritual Twilight Gesang des Abgeschiedenen / Song of the Departed One Grodek / Gródek Herbstseele / Autumn Soul Hölderlin / Hölderlin Im Winter (Ein Winterabend) / In Winter (A Winter Evening) In ein altes Stammbuch / Into an Old Family Album Karl Kraus / Karl Kraus Klage / Lamentation Passion / The Passion Nachtergebung / Surrender to the Night NotesWorks CitedIndex