Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to consider the meaning of “suddenness (Plötzlichkeit)”
proposed by K. H. Bohrer (1932-). First, I try to clarify the meaning of “suddenness” by
elucidating the historical range of art that this notion can be applied to, the elements
that consist of this idea, and the scope of its genealogy. Second, I examine the
relationship between suddenness and fascist ideology, because Bohrer points out that
one of the important sources of the concept is decisionism (Dezisionismus), the pre-
fascistic thought. Yet, Bohrer tries to distinguish suddenness from such a pre-fascistic
idea. “Suddenness” can be explained as an alternative to “appearance” or “semblance”
(Schein), conveying a quality that has been understood as beauty. Nevertheless, he
insists that suddenness is so momentary and subjective that it should be deprived of any
metaphysical implication that appearance and semblance originally had, such as truth
and Utopia. Bohrer says that art based on suddenness should be autonomous and can
have no relations with any social and political context, for such context can never be
possible without historical and continual time. Therefore, Bohrer’s strategy is to defend
aestheticism by suggesting the rigid aestheticism based on suddenness.
