The study introduces a concept that makes it possible to give a more precise description of literary stances in the transitional phase from modernism to post-modernism. Modernity is understood here as the expression of a paradoxical state. Rationally, unitary notions central to the modern age (metaphysical, subject-related, linguistic) no longer appear tenable; in terms of the sheer practical necessities of life they are however indispensable. Thus modern authors have gone in search of visions of totality susceptible of being pressed into service as coping strategies, both aesthetically and in terms of Weltanschauung. These quandaries are delineated here with detailed reference to the work of Alfred Döblin (up to 1933), concentrating not only on his most successful novel "Berlin Alexanderplatz" but giving equal attention to his almost totally neglected early works.