A Later Constellation: Adorno and the Paratactic Form

Abstract

Grounded in Aesthetic theory’s archived material, this paper discusses the theme of the necessity to overwork Darstellung, a fundamental element of constellation. It assumes that Adorno was on a search for a radicalization of parataxis, a figure broadly credited to his writing style by commentators. However, one should remark that such commentaries have extended parataxis’ presence to all his works. On the contrary, this paper defends the hypothesis that only Aesthetic theory can precisely be called “paratactic”. Thus although one could find these constructions in his former writings, it seems that Adorno’s posthumous work culminates in a paratactic model of organization that exceeds its sporadic use. This paper takes late style’s concept (Spätstil) as a theoretical background of this overwork, and intend to explore Adorno’s interpretation of Beethoven and Hölderlin. Finally, it enunciates Adorno’s paratactic typology and tries to point some of these constructions in Aesthetic theory’s presentation.