Based on the German writer Heinrich von Kleist's short prose "Uber das Marionettentheater," this paper explores how Kleist breaks the philosophical and religious tradition so as to depict a new possibility of life cent ered from the human being. The discussion begins with Kleist's skepticism against Kant's epistemology in 1801, the so-called "Kant-crisis." This is followed by an exposition on the aestheticism of Friedrich Schiller, who was strongly influenced by Kant. Against such backdrop, Kleist argues that the marionette puppet can, due to its materiality and non-consciousness, express movement with more natural grace and elegance than a ballet dancer. Kleist's notion is in keeping with the concept of becoming raised by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Quattari. By applying Brian Massumi's studies on animal instinct, this paper aims to delineate the underlying implications in Kleist's text, such as the notion of self-estrangement and the establishment of a new relationship between the humans and the non-humans. In conclusion, the grace presented in Kleist's text demonstrates a kind of life that is de-subjectified and closely associated with the non-humans, signifying the possibility of another way of living that is based on an open-ended and cross-border structure.
