Following on from the discussion of the character of EJ's early work, it occurs to me that we could best understand the evolution in terms of one of his own favorite themes, that of the Gods and the Titans.
The early EJ, following enthusiastically and somewhat mechanically in the footsteps of Nietzsche and his own Zeitalter, understands and blesses the world as titanic, as an expression of the will to power, which is all the Titans strive for. He further develops this world view for himself and expresses it in Der Arbeiter, Stahlgewitter, etc. But he goes further than his teacher Nietzsche, as every good disciple should, and he begins to see the limitations of this perspective, for himself and for the welfare of his fellow humans. This is catalyzed in part by experiences in WWII, through which disillusionment he seeks and finds new, non-Titanic perspectives in the Bible, in Leon Bloy etc. One might see this as the beginning of a personal "return of the Gods" for EJ. From this point on, he switches from being a proponent to an opponent of the Titanic world, and this is reflected in his subsequent works. In contrast to Mr.Malon, I have no problem accepting the existential necessity of this less likable, more arrogant, essentially Titanic Juenger. Only by living through the transition from Titanic to divine perspective in his own being, by first deeply believing and then being as deeply disillusioned, could he have come to the profound understanding of our world condition that is evident in his later works. As a relevant aside, I once spent an afternoon with Mr Juenger in Wilflingen and one comment that he seemed to think important was the Nietzsche was a "Great Titan". Which is to say, that although he himself was beyond this stage, he in no way denigrated the importance of Nietzsche's contribution to his own and the world's spiritual understanding. I strongly believe that the rest of the world, hypnotized as we still are with Titanic seductions, cannot yet move on to the divinely oriented Juenger. This is as it was with Nietzsche himself, who could be better understood the more the world began to manifest in line with his viewpoint, that is, titanically. Indeed, we should not expect a broader understanding of Juenger - broader in the sense of popularity and in an extension of the range of his work to include the later work - until we ourselves are disillusioned with our titanic world. When catastrophe hits us and our world personally, as it did for Juenger in WWII, then perhaps we will look for and begin to understand the transcendent side of this author. Until then, Mr Malon and any other frustrated observers, patience!
