Wicked at all times. Original Sin in W. H. Auden s anti-totalitarian political philosophy

Abstract

In this thesis, I investigate the function of Original Sin in W. H. Auden s political philosophy during and after the Second World War. The analysis is twofold, with a theoretical bridge. In the first chapter I consider the role of Original Sin in Auden s understanding of fascism, liberalism and democracy during the early 1940s, based on a reading of selected prose (1939-48) as well as two long poems Auden wrote in the early 40s: New Year Letter (1940) and For the Time Being (1941-42). Drawing on a theoretical framework developed by Roger Griffin in his study of modernism and fascism, I show how Auden s religiously grounded political philosophy in general, and his notion of the time being in particular, underpins his rejection of totalitarian apocalypticism. In the second chapter I bring in the theoretical perspective of political philosopher Hannah Arendt, whose concept of action sheds light on the time being as well as providing a useful conceptual framework for my analysis in the third chapter. In chapter 3 I investigate Auden s poem sequence Horae Canonicae in light of the findings from the previous chapters, with focus on its central theme of the act or crime and its portrayal of beginnings and ends. I demonstrate how a reading of the poems in light of 1) Auden s political philosophy from the 1940s onwards and 2) Arendt s theory of action reveals new insights into Auden s understanding of Redemption or the Last Judgment.