A friend writes:
Jonah –
I liked the Niewert posts. I do have one comment. On whether fascism was “anti-modern,” while I agree progressives thought fascism could be very forward looking or “modern,” there were certainly some very anti-modern elements to Nazism, including the rejection of Judeo-Christian morality in favor of an older (anti-modern) neo-paganism. Insofar as Heidgegger was influential on Nazism (and there’s little question that Heidegger was pro-Nazi, or that his philosophy was conducive to the Nazi philosophy and aesthetic), he was an “anti-modern” influence. And insofar as Heidegger was influential on post-modern literary theory types, its also worth remembering that some of their most important figures were themselves Nazis (e.g. Paul de Man).
I agree with this entirely and I hope I didn’t come across as saying otherwise. I do discuss this at some length in the book.