The Cambridge Companion to Walter Benjamin (Cambridge Companions to Literature) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521793297 ISBN 13: 9780521793292

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2004

Synopsis

Offering a comprehensive introduction to the thought of Walter Benjamin, the highly influential twentieth-century critic and theorist, this Companion examines different significant aspects of Benjamin's work. Topics of contributions include Benjamin's relationship to the avant-garde movements of his time; his theories on language, mimesis and modernity; and his relevance to modern cultural studies. Additional material includes autobiographical writings, a guide to further reading and a chronology.

About this title

Book Description:

This Companion offers a comprehensive introduction to the thought of the highly influential twentieth-century critic and theorist Walter Benjamin. The volume provides examinations of the different aspects of Benjamin's work that have had a significant effect on contemporary critical and historical thought. Topics discussed by experts in the field include Benjamin's relation to the avant-garde movements of his time, his theories on language and mimesis, modernity, his significance and relevance to modern cultural studies, and his autobiographical writings. Additional material includes a guide to further reading and a chronology.

Review:

'The essays explore the strain between romanticism and modernism in Benjamin's thought and manage to respond masterfully to the challenge of reading his sober prose, which ranges from laconic aphorisms to vibrant and exertive discourse ... yet another engaging essay focusing on Benjamin's relation to romanticism ... This essay's merit lies in demonstrating Benjamin's unequivocal and enthusiastic espousal of avant-garde aesthetics starting from One-Way Street to Arcades Project ... Jennings' essay is impelling and thought-provoking ...' Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Theory

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0521793297
• ISBN 13: 9780521793292
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 266
• Editor: Ferris David S.