Marx and Engels’ interest in prehistory shaped the Frankfurt School’s myth research

Evidence

Horkheimer had already observed to Marcuse during initial work on the essay on reason that our intellectual ancestors' (i.e. Marx and Engels) were not so foolish with their lasting interest in prehistory. You might look out some useful books on ethnology and mythology. All we have here is Bachofen, Reinach and Frazer, as well as Rohde and Lévy-Bruhl; Malinowski and Lowie’s Cultural Anthropology are the up-to-date literature we have. We don’t have Morgan’s Ancient Humanity. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 1343

Categorization

• XREF: Horkheimer’s reading list of ethnology (Frazer, Lévy-Bruhl, Malinowski, Bachofen) connects to the myth/enlightenment theme and to the claimed Marx-Engels prehistory interest; would mesh with other Critical Theory readings on mythology. — connects to: The Frankfurt School treated the Odyssey as the first anthropology of enlightened man — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 1354

Broader Connections

• The Frankfurt School treated the Odyssey as the first anthropology of enlightened man #expands (0.80) — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 1354