Between Heidegger and Novalis

Jul 6, 2026

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Between Heidegger and Novalis examines how “the between” functions across philosophical and literary thought. Peter Hanly develops two major lines: Novalis’s fertility of the between through themes of fecundity, oscillation, indeterminacy, and the book of nature, culminating in wordly alchemy; and Heidegger’s pain of the between, exploring nearness, belonging, beginnings, and the tension between fragmentation, system, and silence. The volume includes an introduction, notes, bibliography, and index.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages221

Reading Time9 h 17 min

Introduction. Heidegger, Novalis, and the Between

Part 1. Novalis: The Fertility of the Between

Fecundity, Proliferation, and Exchange

Hovering at the Edge: Oscillation, Indeterminacy, and the Between

Writing the Book of Nature

The Alchemy of the Word

Part 2. Heidegger: The Pain of the Between

The Darkness of What Is Near

The Pain of Belonging

Between Beginnings

Fragmentation, System, and Silence

Epilogue

Notes

Bibliography

Index

B E T W E E N H E I D E G G E R A N D N O V A L I S Northwestern University Studies in Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy General Editor Anthony J. Steinbock B E T W E E N H E I D E G G E R A N D NOVA L I S Peter Hanly Northwestern University Press Evanston, Illinois Northwestern University Press [www.nupress.northwestern.edu](www.nupress.northwestern.edu) Copyright © 2021 by Northwestern University Press. Published 2021. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Hanly, Peter, author. Title: Between Heidegger and Novalis / Peter Hanly. Other titles: Studies in phenomenology and existential philosophy. Description: Evanston, Illinois : Northwestern University Press, 2021. | Series: Northwestern University Studies in phenomenology and existential philosophy | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifers: LCCN 2020049838 | ISBN 9780810143241 (paperback) | ISBN 9780810143258 (cloth) | ISBN 9780810143265 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Heidegger, Martin, 1889–1976. | Novalis, 1772–1801—Criticism and interpretation. | Relation (Philosophy) | Relation (Philosophy) in literature. Classifcation: LCC B3279.H49 H273 2021 | DDC 193—dc23 LC record available at [https://lccn.loc.gov/2020049838](https://lccn.loc.gov/2020049838) For Anaïs I am a friend of the migrant birds even though, to put it mildly, they adhere to dubious philosophies—perhaps even wrong ones. And even though it is stupid and dangerous and indeed downright criminal to fy across the ocean on those useless little wings, the golden plover has a lovely song in spring . . . —Halldór Laxness Contents Acknowledgments xi Introduction. Heidegger, Novalis, and the Between 3 Part 1. Novalis: The Fertility of the Between 1 Fecundity, Proliferation, and Exchange 19 2 Hovering at the Edge: Oscillation, Indeterminacy, and the Between 38 3 Writing the Book of Nature 57 4 The Alchemy of the Word 82 Part 2. Heidegger: The Pain of the Between 5 The Darkness of What Is Near 103 6 The Pain of Belonging 121 7 Between Beginnings 145 8 Fragmentation, System, and Silence 162 Epilogue 177 Notes 183 Bibliography 195 Index 203

FAQs

What central concept structures the book’s argument?

The book is organized around the notion of “the between,” analyzed through both Novalis and Heidegger.

How does the book portray Novalis’s relation to “the between”?

Part 1 develops “the Fertility of the Between,” linking it to proliferation, oscillation, indeterminacy, nature’s writing, and the alchemy of language.

How does Heidegger’s “the between” differ from Novalis’s?

Part 2 frames it as “the Pain of the Between,” focusing on darkness of the near, the pain of belonging, beginnings, and the interplay of fragmentation, system, and silence.

Jul 6, 2026

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