1. The destructive character, 1931 -- In parallel with my actual diary -- Criticism as fundamental discipline of literary history -- Critique of the new objectivity -- We ought to reexamine the link between teaching and research -- Hofmannsthal and Aleco Dossena -- Left-wing melanchony -- Theological criticism -- Karl Kraus -- Literary history and the study of literature -- German letters -- May-June 1931 -- Unpacking my library -- Franz Kafka: Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer -- Diary from August 7, 1931 -- Little history of photography -- Paul Valéry -- The Lisbon earthquake -- The destructive character -- Reflections on radio -- Mickey Mause -- In almost every example we have of materialist literary history -- The task of the critic -- 2. Ibizian sequence, 1932 -- Experience -- On ships, mine shafts, and crucifixes in bottles -- On the trail of old letters -- A family drama in the epic theater -- The railway disaster at the Firth of Tay -- Privileged thinking -- Excavation and memory -- Oedious, or rational myth -- On proverbs -- Theater and radio -- Ibizian sequence -- Berlin Chronicle -- Spain -- Light from obscurantists -- The handkerchief -- In the sun -- The rigorous study of art -- Hashish in Marseilles -- The eve of departure -- On astrology -- "Try to ensure that everything in life has a consequence" -- Notes (IV) -- 3. Thought figures, 1933 -- The lamp -- Doctrine of the similar -- Kierkegaard -- Stefan George in retrospect -- Agesilaus Santander (first version) -- Agesilaus Santander (second version) -- Antitheses concerning world and name -- On the mimetic faculty -- Thought figures -- Little tricks of the trade -- Experience and poverty -- 4. The author as producer, 1934 -- Once is as good as never -- The newspaper -- Venal but unusable -- The present social situation of the French writer -- The author as producer -- Notes from Svendborg, summer -- Hitler's diminished masculinity -- Franz Kafka.