Dennis McCort

Dennis McCort (born 1941) is an American literary scholar, translator, and novelist, ^[1] known for his work on German Romanticism, Franz Kafka, and the intersections of literature, religion, and Zen Buddhism. ^[2] He is professor emeritus of German at Syracuse University, where he taught for nearly four decades.

Early life and education

McCort was born and raised in Hoboken, New Jersey, ^[3] and graduated from St. Peter's Preparatory School in 1959. ^[4] He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages from St. Peter's College in 1963, followed by a Master of Arts (1964) and Ph.D. (1970) in German Language and Literature from Johns Hopkins University. ^[5]

Academic career

McCort joined the faculty of Syracuse University in 1968 as an assistant professor of German. ^[2] He became associate professor in 1979 and was later promoted to full professor in 2001. ^[1] He held administrative roles, including program coordinator and associate chair within the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics. He retired from teaching in 2007. ^[2]

His academic work focused on 19th-century German literature, especially Romanticism, as well as the literary and philosophical traditions of Franz Kafka. ^[6] He also explored intersections between German literature and Eastern thought, particularly Zen Buddhism, a theme developed in his book Going Beyond the Pairs: The Coincidence of Opposites in German Romanticism, Zen, and Deconstruction (2001). ^[7]

Research and writing

McCort's scholarship bridges literary analysis, religious studies, and east–west comparative philosophy. ^[8] His research topics have included the Zen-like qualities of Kafka's fiction, the influence of Rainer Maria Rilke and Zen on J.D. Salinger, ^[9] and the representation of madness in the works of E. T. A. Hoffmann. ^[10]

He is the author of several novels, including The Man Who Loved Doughnuts (2015), a comic narrative about academic life; Duncan (2019), described by the author as a "thinking man’s thriller"; and The Golden Pot (2022), a modern-day fairy tale. ^[11]

In 2017, he published A Kafkaesque Memoir: Confessions from the Analytic Couch, a personal reflection on the influence of Kafka on his life and his experiences during a nine-year Jungian psychoanalysis. ^[12]

His translation of Georg Trakl’s poem Verfall (Decay), retitled Rot, reflects his broader interest in German lyric poetry and its philosophical resonances. ^[13]

Selected publications

Books

• McCort, Dennis (September 1, 2022). The Golden Pot: A Fairy Tale for Our Time. Palm Art Press. p. 300. ISBN   978-3962581091. 
• McCort, Dennis (February 26, 2019). Duncan. Gatekeeper Press. p. 430. ISBN   978-1642373714.
• McCort, Dennis (December 26, 2015), The Man Who Loved Doughnuts, University of Pittsburgh Press, pp. 3–22, ASIN   B019VM2I0C , retrieved July 25, 2025
• McCort, Dennis (November 29, 2017). A Kafkaesque Memoir: Confessions from the Analytical Coach. Palm Art Press. p. 447. ISBN   9783941524996.
• McCort, Dennis (June 21, 2001). Going beyond the Pairs. State University of New York Press. doi:10.2307/jj.18254966. ISBN   978-0-7914-9041-9.
• McCort, Dennis (January 1, 1988). States of Unconsciousness in Three Tales by C.F. Meyer. Bucknell University Press. p. 135. ISBN   9780838751305.
• McCort, Dennis (1974). Perspectives on music in German fiction: The music-fiction of Wilhelm Heinrich Riehl. German studies in America. Bern, Frankfurt/M: Herbert Lang. ISBN   978-3-261-00853-4.

Translated books

• Kretschmer, Sibylle; Friedrich Wilhelm (2020). The king's love: Frederick the Great, his gentle dogs and other passions. Translated by McCort, Dennis. Berlin: Palm art Press. ISBN   978-3-96258-047-6.
• Schröder, Wolf Christian (2022). Fünf Minuten vor Erschaffung der Welt [Five Minutes before the World Was Made]. Translated by McCort, Dennis. Berlin: PalmArtPress. ISBN   978-3-96258-113-8.
• Knodt, Reinhard (March 2020). Schmerz – Philosophisch-Poetische Miniaturen [Pain / Schmerz – Poetical Philosophical Miniatures]. Translated by McCort, Dennis. Palm Art Press. p. 200. ISBN   978-3-96258-052-0.
• Merkel, Inge; McCort, Dennis; Schneider, Gerd K. (2016). Off the tracks. Studies in Austrian literature, culture, and thought translation series. Riverside, California: Ariadne Press. ISBN   978-1-57241-201-9.
• Traska, Georg; Lind, Christoph; McCort, Dennis (2013). Hermann Leopoldi: the life of a Viennese piano humorist. Studies in Austrian literature, culture and thought. Biography series. Riverside, Calif: Ariadne Press. ISBN   978-1-57241-185-2.
• Schneider, Gerd K. (June 15, 2016). Things Could've Been a Lot Worse: The Experiences of a German-American Bellybutton Jew of Berlin Origins. Translated by McCort, Dennis. Hadassa Word Press. p. 256. ISBN   978-3639794816.
• Mitterer, Felix; Martin, Victoria; Lyons, Mike; Drysdale, Patrick; McCord, Dennis (2011). In the lions' den, and The panther. Studies in Austrian literature, culture and thought. Translation series. Riverside, Calif: Ariadne Press. ISBN   978-1-57241-180-7.

Edited journal issue

• Mccort, Dennis (2002). "Kafka and the East Introduction". Symposium: A Quarterly Journal in Modern Literatures. 55 (4): 187–189. doi:10.1080/00397700209598541. ISSN   0039-7709.

Selected journal articles and chapters

• Mitterer, Felix; Martin, Victoria; Lyons, Mike; Drysdale, Patrick; McCord, Dennis (2011). In the lions' den, and The panther. Studies in Austrian literature, culture and thought. Translation series. Riverside, Calif: Ariadne Press. ISBN   978-1-57241-180-7.
• McCort, Dennis (2005). "Jena Romanticism and Zen". Discourse. 27 (1): 98–118. doi:10.1353/dis.2006.0008. ISSN   1536-1810.
• Mccort, Dennis (2002). "Kafka and the East: the Case for Spiritual Affinity". Symposium: A Quarterly Journal in Modern Literatures. 55 (4): 199–212. doi:10.1080/00397700209598543. ISSN   0039-7709.
• Cort, Dennis Mc (1978). "Historical consciousness versus action in C. F. Meyer's Das Amulett". Symposium: A Quarterly Journal in Modern Literatures. 32 (2): 114–132. doi:10.1080/00397709.1978.10733372. ISSN   0039-7709.

References

1. Frank, Casey Rose (September 23, 2016). "A memoir of emigration: CNY books and authors". syracuse. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
2. Frank, Casey Rose (February 15, 2019). "Oh, the places you'll go in Hamilton, NY: CNY book and authors". syracuse. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
3. "Dennis McCort - Psychological Thriller Writer". BookTrib. February 27, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
4. "Prep Boys Winners of Scholarships", The Jersey Journal , February 3, 1960. Accessed July 28, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "Thirty one members of the 1959 graduating class of St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City have been extended congratulations by the Rev. Cornelius J. Carr, S. J., principal of the Jesuit high school on notification that they had won New 'Jersey State scholarships. The administrator was informed yesterday the 31 were among 900 high school seniors, and college freshmen who earned stipends. The Hudson County recipients are Matthew Calabro, of Kearny; Dennis McCort, Michael Menditto, and John Reilly, of Hoboken..."
5. "McCort specializes in German Romanticism, 19th-century fiction". College of Arts & Sciences at Syracuse University. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
6. McCort, Dennis (1991). "Kafka Koans". Religion & Literature. 23 (1): 51–74. ISSN   0888-3769. JSTOR   40059462.
7. Belgardt, Raimund (2003). "Review of Going beyond the Pairs: The Coincidence of Opposites in German Romanticism, Zen, and Deconstruction". Monatshefte. 95 (3): 512–514. doi:10.3368/m.XCV.3.512. ISSN   0026-9271. JSTOR   30161701.
8. Hanlin, Todd C. (2012). "Review of In the Lions' Den and The Panther". Journal of Austrian Studies. 45 (3/4): 199–201. ISSN   2165-669X. JSTOR   24048639.
9. Buntz, Sam (July 16, 2021). "Salinger: An Introduction". Athwart. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
10. "Dennis McCort | BookTrib". November 12, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
11. "Dennis McCort - PalmArtPress". www.palmartpress.com. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
12. Gardner, Fionna (February 22, 2019). "Reflections on 'A Kafkaesque Memoir' (4)" . Retrieved July 26, 2025.
13. "Dennis McCort Translates VERFALL by Georg Trakl | The Adirondack Review". theadirondackreview.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2025. Retrieved July 26, 2025.