Disenchantment of Art: The Philosophy of Walter Benjamin

[Benjamin] Rochlitz, Rainer

ISBN 10: 0898624088 / ISBN 13: 9780898624083

Published by Guilford Publications, 1995

About this Item

A very good copy in a very good dust jacket. Spotting to page block. Fifty years after committing suicide at the French-Spanish border, Walter Benjamin remains one of the great cultural critics of this century. Yet despite his wide acclaim, his philosophical ideas remain elusive to most, often considered an intentionally desegregated set of thoughts not meant to cohere. Rainer Rochlitz brings a new perspective to Benjamin's work, arguing that throughout his writings runs a constant theme, that of the struggle to clarify and disenchant language. Providing an insightful, systematic analysis of Benjamin's works and applying them to current philosophical debates, The Disenchantment of Art is the first book to lay claim to his status as a philosopher. Beginning with Benjamin's early works, Rochlitz highlights his search for truth in art. Benjamin believed that art constituted a pure language directly related to God. This language existed prior to the everyday language we use to communicate, and only it could express truth. Benjamin was convinced that analytic philosophy, which had broken away from theology, had no chance to discover truth on its own. As Rochlitz shows, Benjamin's views later changed to a more materialist conception of art based on the idea that it was necessary for politics to take the place of theology as the basis of aesthetics. Further, he felt that traditional art and its aura had to be sacrificed to mass reproduction and immediate efficiency in the revolutionary context of the 1930s. In his later works, Benjamin addressed this sacrifice as a danger for the emancipatory potentials of art. For him, critical history (art criticism included) provided a look at the past and contained all the struggles of humanity to overcome mythicalobscurity, oppression, and violence. Offering critical discussions of Benjamin's ideas in the context of his time and exploring their application to current philosophical thought, The Disenchantment of Art will appeal to readers with an interest in philosophy, literature, cultural studie.

Seller Inventory # 408477

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Disenchantment of Art: The Philosophy of Walter Benjamin
• Publisher: Guilford Publications
• Publication Date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0898624088
• ISBN 13: 9780898624083
• Binding: Hardcover
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Philosophy

About this title

Synopsis

Fifty years after his death, Walter Benjamin remains one of the great cultural critics of this century. Despite his renown, however, Benjamin's philosophical ideas remain elusive/m-/often considered a disaggregated set of thoughts not meant to cohere. This book provides a more systematic perspective on Benjamin, laying claim to his status as a philosopher and situating his work in the context of its time. Exploring Benjamin's theory of language, spoken and nonspoken, Rainer Rochlitz shows how Benjamin reconceptualized traditional ideas of language, art, and history. Offering an expansive assessment of a unique twentieth-century thinker, this volume provides an indispensable guide for readers of Benjamin's recently released collected works.

About the Author

Rainer Rochlitz is a research fellow at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris. An author and editor, Dr. Rochlitz has also translated the work of Adorno, Habermas, Ricoeur, and Lévi-Strauss.