The politic dramatization of “open work” in “The death of Virgil”

Abstract

This essay examines Hermann Broch’s The Death of Virgil as a literary work that engages with Umberto Eco’s concept of the "open work." It delves into the central tension between Virgil and Augustus, symbolizing the conflict between political and poetic realms, authorship, and reception, alongside the historical and philosophical implications of this dynamic. Discussing Broch’s "theory of democracy," we highlight the relationship between democratic ethos and ethical implications of human dignity, grounded in continuous vigilance, as expressed in Autopsychography. The final analysis connects Broch’s debates to contemporary aesthetic theories, addressing interpretative risks and emancipatory potentials of open works.