Although Marcuse is widely known for books such as One Dimensional Man, few people are familiar with the numerous essays that he has published since the 1920s. This is a pity since Marcuse is at his best as an essayist. In contrast to Adorno, who excelled at philosophical puns and cultivated obscurity (which tended to make his sentences appear somewhat mechanical in their almost predictable inversions), Marcuse has managed to achieve a greater clarity of presentation despite his acceptance of the (...) Frankfurt School's almost merciless disregard for those readers who have not mastered the complete history of philosophy and aesthetics. (shrink)