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Fritz Mauthner (; 22 November 1849 – 29 June 1923) was an Austrian philosopher and author of novels, satires, reviews and journalistic works. He was an exponent of philosophical scepticism derived from a critique of human knowledge and of
philosophy of language Philosophy of language refers to the philosophical study of the nature of language. It investigates the relationship between language, language users, and the world. Investigations may include inquiry into the nature of Meaning (philosophy), me ...
. He became editor of the '' Berliner Tageblatt'' in 1895, but is remembered mainly for his ''Beiträge zu einer Kritik der Sprache'' (''Contributions to a Critique of Language''), published in three parts in 1901 and 1902.
Ludwig Wittgenstein Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein ( ; ; 26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951) was an Austrian philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. From 1929 to 1947, Witt ...
took several of his ideas from Mauthner, and acknowledges him in his ''
Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus The ''Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus'' (widely abbreviated and Citation, cited as TLP) is the only book-length philosophical work by the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein that was published during his lifetime. The project had a broad goal ...
'' (1922).


Life


Early life

Fritz Mauthner was born on 22 November 1849 into an assimilated, well-to-do
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
family from Hořice in Bohemia (now in the Czech Republic). He was born as the fourth of six children of Emmanuel and Amalie Mauthner. The Mauthners were a wealthy Jewish family who did not practise their faith. Mauthner's grandfather was a follower of Frankism. Mauthner describes his father in the autobiography as having "literally grown up without knowledge of any catechism" and his educated mother, who took care of the children's education, as "anti-religious". Mauthner's family spoke German, unlike most of the
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
n population. His parents were proud of the fact that they spoke German. Mauthner learned German through his family, Czech through his nursemaid and a little Hebrew through a private teacher. Philosopher Gershon Weiler suggests that "it is unlikely that he ever passed beyond the point of mastering the alphabet" in Hebrew. As a German-speaking Jew in the Bohemian region of the Austrian Empire, Mauthner belonged to a double minority and struggled to find a sense of belonging. This experience is cited in later years as formative for his intellectual development. In the autobiography, Mauthner writes "I do not understand at all if a Jew born in a Slavic region of Austria is not pushed into linguistic research." In 1855, the five-year-old Mauthner moved to
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
with his family to be educated. Mauthner received private lessons, attended a private Jewish school (''Klippschule'') and later two secondary schools. In his autobiography he writes disparagingly about the low standard of the schools. He considered himself highly gifted and was resentful of the school system. His autobiography is largely a critique of the school system of the time, which was limited to
corporal punishment A corporal punishment or a physical punishment is a punishment which is intended to cause physical pain to a person. When it is inflicted on Minor (law), minors, especially in home and school settings, its methods may include spanking or Padd ...
and learning by rote. Mauthner wanted to become a writer; his father wanted him to become a merchant. They agreed that he would study
jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...
at
Charles University Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest universities in the world in conti ...
in Prague. Mauthner studied jurisprudence from 1869 to 1873. At the university, Mauthner attended lectures in philosophy, music, physics, art history, medicine and theology. He read
Arthur Schopenhauer Arthur Schopenhauer ( ; ; 22 February 1788 – 21 September 1860) was a German philosopher. He is known for his 1818 work ''The World as Will and Representation'' (expanded in 1844), which characterizes the Phenomenon, phenomenal world as ...
and
Ernst Mach Ernst Waldfried Josef Wenzel Mach ( ; ; 18 February 1838 – 19 February 1916) was an Austrian physicist and philosopher, who contributed to the understanding of the physics of shock waves. The ratio of the speed of a flow or object to that of ...
, under whom he also attended lectures. Mauthner passed the first state examination in law and worked as a theatre critic, writer and poet alongside his studies. With the death of his father in 1874, Mauthner broke off his studies. He published unsuccessful volumes of poetry, and worked as a journalist and playwright. His play ''Anna'' premiered at the Estates Theatre in 1874, but was discontinued after only a few performances. The comedy ''Die leidige Geldfrage'' (''The tiresome question of money'') was shown in Prague and
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
in 1876.


Berlin and Freiburg im Breisgau

In 1876, at the age of 27, Mauthner moved to Berlin, known on the theatre scene as a critic and author. He chose Berlin and not Vienna because he was enthusiastic about Bismarck and because he did not want to be patronised by his family in Austria. In Berlin, Mauthner worked as a journalist for several newspapers and wrote literary and theatre criticism for the Berliner Tageblatt, a leading liberal daily newspaper. He published books and volumes of poetry and became a well-known cultural figure. Mauthner, together with Paul Lindau, was considered Germany's most qualified theatre critic. In 1878 he married Jenny Ehrenberg, a pianist, and his only daughter Grete was born. In the following years, Mauthner worked as an editor, publisher, critic and writer. His novels were historical, socio-critical, German-national, satirical, and columnist. Some of his books, such as the parodies, were very successful, and were translated and published in several print runs during Mauthner's lifetime. Their literary quality is judged ambivalently: The commercially successful works consist mainly of light novels, which can be judged as being shallow. Some of Mauthner's novels, however, contain reflections that would later be considered philosophically. 1893 Mauthner began to work on the ''Beiträge zu einer Kritik der Sprache'' (''Contributions to a Critique of Language''). During the work, his wife Jenny died, and he suffered from an eye disease, which threatened to make him blind. He collaborated with
anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...
philosopher and
pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...
Gustav Landauer to finish the text. The ''Contributions to a Critique of Language'' appeared from 1901 to 1903 in the three volumes ''Zur Sprache und zur Psychologie'' (''On Language and Psychology''), ''Zur Sprachwissenschaft'' (''On Linguistics'') and ''Zur Logik und Grammatik'' (''On Logic and Grammar''). The work was largely rejected among academic circles, which disappointed Mauthner deeply. He suffered from depression and developed a strong dislike of the city life in Berlin and of his journalistic work, which he had always continued to do as a bread-and-butter occupation. He called journalism a "trade with words" (''Worthandel'') and expressed his dissatisfaction several times in letters. In 1905, at the age of 56, Mauthner left Berlin and lived in
Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...
, where he met and married the physician and writer Hedwig (Harriet) Straub in 1907. His book on
Spinoza Baruch (de) Spinoza (24 November 163221 February 1677), also known under his Latinized pen name Benedictus de Spinoza, was a philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish origin, who was born in the Dutch Republic. A forerunner of the Age of Enlightenmen ...
was published in 1906, and as from 1907 he attended university lectures in mathematics and natural sciences, while devoting himself mainly to philosophy and writing. Mauthner regarded Hugo von Hofmannsthal's '' The Lord Chandos Letter'' (1906) as a work influenced by his own critique of language.


Meersburg

In 1909, Mauthner moved with his wife Hedwig to Meersburg on
Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein (). These ...
, in a well-known house called ''Glaserhäusle''. There he wrote the monograph ''Die Sprache'' (''Language'') for the series ''Die Gesellschaft'', edited by
Martin Buber Martin Buber (; , ; ; 8 February 1878 – 13 June 1965) was an Austrian-Israeli philosopher best known for his philosophy of dialogue, a form of existentialism centered on the distinction between the I and Thou, I–Thou relationship and the I� ...
. Mauthner worked on the ''Wörterbuch der Philosophie'' (''Dictionary of Philosophy'') and ''Der Atheismus und seine Geschichte im Abendlande'' (''Atheism and its History in the Occident''). The ''Dictionary'' appeared in 1910 and 1911. In three volumes with about 2,000 pages in total, Mauthner exercised his critique of language, set out in the ''Contributions'', exemplified on the central concepts of
Western philosophy Western philosophy refers to the Philosophy, philosophical thought, traditions and works of the Western world. Historically, the term refers to the philosophical thinking of Western culture, beginning with the ancient Greek philosophy of the Pre ...
. His eye disease worsened during the process; he dictated the text to his wife Hedwig to write down and read out aloud. Mauthner developed a godless
mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute (philosophy), Absolute, but may refer to any kind of Religious ecstasy, ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or Spirituality, spiritual meani ...
as a culmination of the critique of language. It is assumed that the importance of mysticism emerged from his collaboration with Hedwig Straub. In 1912, his last novel ''Der letzte Tod des Gautama Buddha'' (''The Last Death of
Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ...
'') was published. During
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Mauthner wrote inflammatory and nationalistic newspaper articles. He reflected on the connection between philosophy and war; although he did not embrace the war, he placed the importance of Germany's military success above any philosophy. His political commitment disturbed his friends, especially Gustav Landauer. During the last years of his life, he revised the ''Dictionary'' in parallel with his work on the history of
atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the Existence of God, existence of Deity, deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the ...
. From 1920 to 1923, ''Der Atheismus und seine Geschichte im Abendlande'' appeared in four volumes. Mauthner died at age 74 on 29 June 1923. Hedwig Mauthner continued to live in the Glaserhäusle after her husband's death. During the National Socialist regime, as the widow of a Jew, she was banned from publishing books in 1933 and her pension payments were stopped. She survived through the help of friends and the Meersburg town priest Wilhelm Restle, and died impoverished in 1945. Fritz and Hedwig Mauthner are buried together at Meersburg cemetery; their gravestone reads ''Vom Menschsein erlöst'' (''Redeemed from being human'').


Philosophical work

Mauthner's philosophical work is concerned with the philosophy of language and atheism. Three books, each in several volumes, can be regarded as his main theoretical contributions: The ''Beiträge zu einer Kritik der Sprache'' (three volumes 1901–1902, third revised edition 1923), ''Wörterbuch der Philosophie'' (two volumes 1910, third revised edition in three volumes 1923–1924) and ''Der Athesimus und seine Geschichte im Abendlande'' (four volumes 1920–1923). Besides these works, Mauthner published shorter works on the philosophy of
Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...
, Spinoza and Schopenhauer, as well as on various topics related to his philosophy of language. Mauthner's writing style is unorthodox: he draws on a variety of sources, combines his biography with theoretical considerations, he writes redundantly and, above all, comprehensively a lot (each of his three main works comprise more than 2,000 pages). Only a few of his smaller theoretical works have been translated into English (see Section "Philosophical works in English translation").


Critique of language

Mauthner advocates an
empirical Empirical evidence is evidence obtained through sense experience or experimental procedure. It is of central importance to the sciences and plays a role in various other fields, like epistemology and law. There is no general agreement on how t ...
, sceptical
nominalism In metaphysics, nominalism is the view that universals and abstract objects do not actually exist other than being merely names or labels. There are two main versions of nominalism. One denies the existence of universals—that which can be inst ...
, which he develops into a comprehensive and
epistemological Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that examines the nature, origin, and limits of knowledge. Also called "the theory of knowledge", it explores different types of knowledge, such as propositional knowledge about facts, practical knowled ...
theory. He consistently pursues this approach to the conclusion that all philosophical problems are problems of language. Thus, Mauthner can be understood as a precursor of logical empiricism. Philosopher Elisabeth Leinfellner calls him a thinker in the Austrian tradition of philosophy, but also writes that he regards himself as a thinker in the succession of Hume. Weiler calls Mauthner paradigmatic for the English tradition of empiricism. Mauthner's philosophy, like logical empiricism, is characterised by an anti-metaphysical attitude and a methodical approach through linguistic analysis. At the same time, his premises are based in a different tradition and his goal is not a reform of language through its analysis, but – as a paradoxical project – the destruction of language as a tool to gain
knowledge Knowledge is an Declarative knowledge, awareness of facts, a Knowledge by acquaintance, familiarity with individuals and situations, or a Procedural knowledge, practical skill. Knowledge of facts, also called propositional knowledge, is oft ...
. For Mauthner, a logical analysis of language is also condemned to fail, as he regards
logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...
as just another form of language. Mauthner's philosophy stands for the tragic admission that it is impossible to gain knowledge through the means of language. Mauthner identifies empiricism as the school of thought that gave him the idea of the critique of language. For him, everything that is regarded knowledge can be traced back to sensory experience. The central feature for this assumption is his concept of the ''Zufallssinne'' (''contingent senses''): if all knowledge is traced back to sensory experience, then the sense organs are the condition for the possibility of knowledge. Animals and humans, however, have different sensory apparatuses and therefore perceive the world differently. The way humans see the world is a moment of
evolution Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...
ary development. No organic condition of world perception can perceive the world as it actually is. Mauthner writes: "The words of language are ultimately unfit for penetrating into the essence of reality, because words are only memory-indices for the sensations of our senses and because these senses are contingent senses, which truly experience nothing more of reality than a spider does of the palace in whose oriel arbour it has spun its web. Thus mankind must quietly despair of ever knowing reality." This scepticism concerns language only as an instrument of knowledge. The poetic and communicative function of language is recognised by Mauthner. Language is useful for daily life, but not for knowledge. Belief in extra-linguistic reference is called ''word superstition'' (''Wortaberglaube'') or ''word fetish'' (''Wortfetisch''). In this context, Mauthner introduces the term ''Scheinbegriff'' (''pseudo-concept''), which later became one of the central concepts in the tradition of logical empiricism. The meaning attributed to the words of language is nothing other than the memory of its use. He argues that the meaning of language has to do with its use, similar to Wittgenstein. Mauthner intends to show that an abstract language consisting of grammatical rules and vocabulary is an artificial abstraction that negates psychological reality. Language is rooted in sensory experience. The deception that words refer to an extra-linguistic reality particularly affects philosophy, which he criticises as being metaphysically charged by historic traditions: "I live by the belief and the conviction that the sceptical nominalism, with which I have shown the inadequacy of human language in general, particularly affects philosophical concepts, and among them most strongly the most general concepts." Mauthner states his philosophical programme of a critique of language in the introduction to the ''Dictionary'' as follows: "Philosophy is epistemology, epistemology is the critique of language; the critique of language, however, is the work on the liberating thought that people can never get beyond the figurative representation of the world with the words of their languages and with the words of their philosophies."


Legacy

While Mauthner's literary work can be considered forgotten, his philosophy of language resonated in the literature of the 20th century. Mauthner's influences can be found in the work of
Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo ( ; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator regarded as a key figure in Spanish literature, Spanish-language and international literatur ...
,
Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...
and
James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...
. Today, Mauthner's philosophy is mainly addressed in relation to Wittgenstein. Throughout his life, Mauthner himself was unhappy about the lack of response to his work. The lack of response, however, refers primarily to academic philosophy, which did not react to Mauthner. The ''Contributions to a Critique of Language'' sold well and were well reviewed in newspapers. Mathematician
Felix Hausdorff Felix Hausdorff ( , ; November 8, 1868 – January 26, 1942) was a German mathematician, pseudonym Paul Mongré (''à mogré' (Fr.) = "according to my taste"), who is considered to be one of the founders of modern topology and who contributed sig ...
, for example, wrote a positive review and communicated his enthusiasm in letters to Mauthner. Kühn lists forty to fifty reviews from 1901 that react to the publication Mauthner's ''Contributions''. Gustav Landauer undertakes an early examination of Mauthner's philosophy in 1902 and writes the book ''Skepsis und Mystik'' that depicts Mauthner as a mystic. Hermann Häfker and Theodor Lessing were critical of Mauthner and accused him of confusion in his philosophical foundations. The first monograph on Mauthner was published in 1926 by Theodor Kappstein, which is regarded as an uncritical praise by Kühn. With the rise of Nazism, the engagement with the Jewish thinker ends abruptly and Mauthner becomes forgotten. It is, however, undisputed that Mauthner had been well known for his literary, journalistic and philosophical work. Two famous people in the history of philosophy bear witness to this:
Karl Popper Sir Karl Raimund Popper (28 July 1902 – 17 September 1994) was an Austrian–British philosopher, academic and social commentator. One of the 20th century's most influential philosophers of science, Popper is known for his rejection of the ...
mentions in his autobiography some of the philosophy books in his father's library, and states Mauthner's ''Contributions'' as being there among the works of Descartes, Spinoza, Kant, Schopenhauer and others. The second mention, to which Mauthner credits the philosophical interest, comes from Ludwig Wittgenstein. Wittgenstein mentions Mauthner in the ''Tractatus'', and although it is a delimiting remark, this mention can be understood as an expression of appreciation, since Wittgenstein mentions very few philosophers by name. Mauthner's concept of ''word superstition'' is discussed in the influential book '' The Meaning of Meaning'' by C. K. Ogden and I. A. Richards. The most influential reception in the English-speaking world comes from philosopher and writer Gershon Weiler, who published the first comprehensive English-language monograph on Mauthner, along with numerous essays. An intellectual biography is available in French. A modern German edition of Mauthner's works, including the ''Dictionary of Philosophy'' and the ''Contributions to a Critique of Language'', was edited by German philosopher and literary scholar Ludger Lütkehaus. Mauthner's estate is preserved as the ''Fritz Mauthner Collection'' at the
Center for Jewish History The Center for Jewish History is a partnership of five Jewish history, scholarship, and art organizations in New York City, namely the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute New York, Yeshiva Univ ...
,
Leo Baeck Institute New York The Leo Baeck Institute New York (LBI) is a research institute in New York City dedicated to the study of German-Jewish history and culture, founded in 1955. It is one of three independent research centers founded by a group of German-speaking J ...
.


Works

;Philosophy
''Beiträge zu einer Kritik der Sprache''
three volumes, Stuttgart: J.G. Cotta, 1901–1903. * ''Aristoteles'', 1904 * ''Spinoza'', 1906 * ''Die Sprache'', 1907 * ''Wörterbuch der Philosophie'', two volumes 1910–11, three volumes 1923–24 * ''Schopenhauer'', 1911 * ''Der letzte Tod des Gautama Buddha'', 1913 * ''Der Atheismus und seine Geschichte im Abendlande'', four volumes 1920–23 * ''Muttersprache und Vaterland'', 1920 ;Fiction * ''Anna'', 1874 * ''Lyrik'' * ''Die große Revolution'', 1872 * ''Nach berühmten Mustern'', satirical, 1878, 1889 * ''Einsame Fahrten'', 1879 * ''Vom armen Franischko'', story, 1879 * ''Die Sonntage der Baronin'', 1881 * ''Der neue Ahasver'', 1882 * ''Dilettantenspiegel'', satirical, 1883 * ''Gräfin Salamanca'', 1884 * ''Xanthippe'', 1884 * ''Berlin W.'' (trilogy of novels): ''Quartett'', 1886; ''Die Fanfare'', 1888; ''Der Villenhof'', 1890 *
Der letzte Deutsche von Blatna
', novel, 1887 * ''Der Pegasus'', 1889 * ''Zehn Geschichten'', 1891 * ''Glück im Spiel'', 1891 * ''Hypatia'', 1892 * ''Lügenohr'', 1892 (under the title: ''Aus dem Märchenbuch der Wahrheit'', 1899) * ''Kraft'', novel 1894 * ''Die Geisterseher'', novel 1894 * ''Die bunte Reihe'', 1896 * ''Der steinerne Riese'', novella, 1896 * ''Die böhmische Handschrift'', novella 1897 * ''Der wilde Jockey'', 1897 * ''Der letzte Tod des Gautama Buddha'', novel 1913 * ''Der goldene Fiedelbogen'', 1917 ;Essays and theoretical works * ''Kleiner Krieg'', 1879 * ''Credo'', 1886 * ''Tote Symbole'', 1892 * ''Zum Streit um die Bühne'', 1893 * ''Totengespräche'', 1906 * ''Gespräche im Himmel und andere Ketzereien'', 1914 ;Translations * ''Henriette Marechal'', by Edmond de Goncourt, 1895 ;Editorial * ''Wochenschrift für Kunst und Literatur'', 1889-1890 * ''Magazin für die Literatur des In- und Auslandes'', 1991 * ''Bibliothek der Philosophen'', from 1911 ;Collected works * ''Ausgewählte Schriften'', 6 books, 1919 ;Miscellaneous * ''Erinnerungen'', autobiography 1918 * ''Selbstbiographie'', 1922, in: ''Philosophie der Gegenwart in Selbstdarstellungen'', Bd. 3.


Philosophical works in English translation

* (1907)
''Aristotle''
Translated by Charles D. Gordon. London: William Heinemann. * (1924)
"Skepticism and the Jews"
''The Menorah Journal'' 10 (1): 1–14, translated and introduced by A.S.O. * (2023)
"Philosophy and the War"
''Journal of Continental Philosophy'' 4 (1/2): 61–70, translated and introduced by Thomas Hainscho. doibr>10.5840/jcp202391350


Notes and references


Notes


References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

*Arens, Katherine. ''Empire in decline: Fritz Mauthner's critique of Wilhelminian Germany.'' New York: P. Lang, 2001. *Ben-Zvi, Linda. Samuel Beckett, Fritz Mauthner and the Limits of Language. ''PMLA''. Vol. 95(2): 183-200. 1980. *Bredeck, Elizabeth. ''Metaphors of Knowledge: Language and Thought in Mauthner's Critique''. Wayne State University Press, 1992. *Dapía, Silvia. ''Die Rezeption der Sprachkritik Fritz Mauthners im Werk von Jorge Luis Borges.'' Cologne, Weimar, Vienna: Böhlau, 1993 *Knowlson, James & Pilling, John. ''Frescoes of the skull''. London: John Calder, 1979. *Kühn, Joachim. ''Gescheiterte Sprachkritik: Fritz Mauthners Leben und Werk.'' Walter de Gruyter, 1975. *Ludwig, Otto & Heydrich, Moritz. ''Shakespeare-Studien''. Halle: H. Gesenius, 1901. *Skerl, Jennie. Fritz Mauthner's "Critique of Language" in Samuel Beckett's "Watt". ''Contemporary Literature.'' Vol. 15(4): 474-487. University of Wisconsin Press, 1974. *Sluga, Hans. Wittgenstein and Pyrrhonism. In Walter Sinnott-Armstrong (Ed.) ''Pyrrhonian Skepticism.'' Oxford University Press, 2006 *Vierhufe, Almut. ''Parody and Language Critique. Studies on Fritz Mauthner's Nach berühmten Mustern.'' Niemeyer, 1999. *Weiler, Gershon. ''Mauthner's Critique of Language''. Cambridge University Press, 1970.


External links


Fritz Mauthner Collection
at the Leo Baeck Institute
Guide to the Fritz Mauthner Correspondence Collection 1765-1868

Book review of Fritz Mauthner's ''Die Sprache''
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mauthner, Fritz 1849 births 1923 deaths 20th-century Czech philosophers 20th-century Austrian philosophers Austrian male writers Jews from Austria-Hungary Writers from Austria-Hungary Czech writers in German German people of Czech-Jewish descent Jewish philosophers People from Hořice People from the Kingdom of Bohemia Austrian philosophers of language Berliner Tageblatt people Czech satirists Austrian satirists