study, follows its own internal logic, which cannot be schemat-
ically extended to other parts of Adorno's work. To put it dif-
ferently, there is no obvious Archimedean point from which all
parts can be read and understood. Thus the difference between
center and margin becomes unstable. Even advanced readers of
Adorno have found it difficult to deal with the consequences of
this structure. On the one hand, it problematizes the preference
for Adorno more systematic studies, such as Negative Dialectics
and Aesthetic Theory, as the supposed core of his writings; on the
other, it encourages the reader to take seriously the reading of his
essays and smaller pieces. The distinction between major works
and minor pieces collapses; accordingly, Adorno ought to be ex-
plored from the margins. With this in mind, my introductory
chapter examines, in more detail, the possibilities and limits of
present Adorno criticism.

Involved in this process of rereading and reassessing is the
person of Adorno himself, for the orthodox interpretation of his
texts has gone hand in hand with certain assumptions about
Adorno's biography and his position within the context of the
Frankfurt School as well as in the larger historical constellation
that motivated his work. Accordingly, part one continues with a
reconsideration of two rather controversial aspects of Adorno's
life: chapter 2 explores the significance of his years in American
exile; chapter 3 examines his role in postwar Germany and the
relevance of postfascist society there to his thought. In part two,
chapters 4 and 5 deal with Adorno's essays on literature. Together
with a reassessment of his controversial theory of mass culture in
chapter 6 and in chapter 7, a reconsideration of his sociology of
art, they raise methodological questions, which in the case of
Adorno are closely related to questions of rhetoric and style. Part
three addresses adjacent theoretical issues, beginning in chapter 8
with a more specific examination of Adorno's concept of art and
the problems of grounding a philosophy of art. Chapter 9 turns to
an issue that has not been sufficiently explored: Adorno's under-
standing of language, especially its function in philosophy. Finally,
the epilogue summarizes his place in criticism today.

I do not attempt to offer a comprehensive analysis of Adorno's

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