The Interim II: 1914–1922

This chapter continues the examination of Rilke’s ‘interim’ work with a focus on his responses to German literature, which he began to read in a more systematic fashion at this time, moving away from the French tradition which he had virtually made himself part of in Paris. Although the First World War stifled Rilke’s writing, he remained committed to a poetics of experimentation. The chapter looks in detail at his relationship with the poetry of Hölderlin, which was edited fully for the first time in these years and, within the context of the war, goes on to deal with the ‘phallic’ ‘Sieben Gedichte’ and other poems including ‘Der Tod’, ‘An die Musik’ and ‘Laß dir, daß Kindheit war…’ ending with ‘Solang du Selbstgeworfnes fängst…’ as a prelude to the Duineser Elegien.