Mortal Thought seeks to illustrate the artistic and philosophical contexts for Hölderlin's poetic thought and to trace his profound impact upon subsequent philosophy, most notably Nietzsche, the Frankfurt School, Heidegger and Post-structuralism. Beginning with the point of departure of Hölderlin in Kant and Fichte, Mortal Thought outlines the novel philosophical innovations of Hölderlin, and their influence upon philosophy from the 19th century to the present day. A renewed appreciation of Hölderlin will allow us to retrieve an authentic philosophy for our own era. Mortal Thought lays out a concise, clear and comprehensive account of the emergence of Hölderlin as philosopher and poet, of his influence upon the four dominant strands of Continental philosophy - Nietzsche, Heidegger, Critical Theory and Poet-structuralism - and of his relevance for us in our own era.

Opening - Mortal Thought Part One: Hölderlin and the Poetics of ThoughtChapter One: The Unity of Philosophy in KantChapter Two: Transcendental Poetics and the Doctrine of ReflectionChapter Three: Poetics Beyond Reflection: Being and Judgment Chapter Four: Hölderlin and the Tragic SublimeChapter Five: Mortal Thought: The Poetics of Being and Existence Part Two: Hölderlin's Child: Nietzsche Chapter Six: Hyperion and The Birth of TragedyChapter Seven: Tragic Poetry and the Thread of AriadneChapter Eight: Empedocles and the Death of Zarathustra Part Three: Hölderlin and Contemporary PhilosophyChapter Nine: Hölderlin and the Frankfurt SchoolChapter Ten: Heidegger and the Question of BeingChapter Eleven: Heidegger's Poetic Turn Chapter Twelve: Hölderlin and the Poetics of DeconstructionChapter Thirteen: All in All: The Poetics of Intimacy Epilogue: The Revolution of the MortalBibliographyIndex