Benjamin, Adorno, and the Experience of Literature

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy
Cover of the book Benjamin, Adorno, and the Experience of Literature by , Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ISBN: 9781351592963
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: June 27, 2018
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author:
ISBN: 9781351592963
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: June 27, 2018
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

This collection features original essays that examine Walter Benjamin’s and Theodor Adorno’s essays and correspondence on literature. Taken together, the essays present the view that these two monumental figures of 20th-century philosophy were not simply philosophers who wrote about literature, but that they developed their philosophies in and through their encounters with literature.

Benjamin, Adorno, and the Experience of Literature is divided into three thematic sections. The first section contains essays that directly demonstrate the ways in which literature enriched the thinking of Benjamin and Adorno. It explores themes that are recognized to be central to their thinking—mimesis, the critique of historical progress, and the loss and recovery of experience—through their readings of literary authors such as Baudelaire, Beckett, and Proust. The second section continues the trajectory of the first by bringing together four essays on Benjamin’s and Adorno’s reading of Kafka, whose work helped them develop a distinctive critique of and response to capitalism. The third and final section focuses more intently on the question of what it means to gain authentically critical insight into a literary work. The essays examine Benjamin’s response to specific figures, including Georg Büchner, Robert Walser, and Julien Green, whose work he sees as neglected, undigested, or misunderstood.

This book offers a unique examination of two pivotal 20th-century philosophers through the lens of their shared experiences with literature. It will appeal to a wide range of scholars across philosophy, literature, and German studies.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This collection features original essays that examine Walter Benjamin’s and Theodor Adorno’s essays and correspondence on literature. Taken together, the essays present the view that these two monumental figures of 20th-century philosophy were not simply philosophers who wrote about literature, but that they developed their philosophies in and through their encounters with literature.

Benjamin, Adorno, and the Experience of Literature is divided into three thematic sections. The first section contains essays that directly demonstrate the ways in which literature enriched the thinking of Benjamin and Adorno. It explores themes that are recognized to be central to their thinking—mimesis, the critique of historical progress, and the loss and recovery of experience—through their readings of literary authors such as Baudelaire, Beckett, and Proust. The second section continues the trajectory of the first by bringing together four essays on Benjamin’s and Adorno’s reading of Kafka, whose work helped them develop a distinctive critique of and response to capitalism. The third and final section focuses more intently on the question of what it means to gain authentically critical insight into a literary work. The essays examine Benjamin’s response to specific figures, including Georg Büchner, Robert Walser, and Julien Green, whose work he sees as neglected, undigested, or misunderstood.

This book offers a unique examination of two pivotal 20th-century philosophers through the lens of their shared experiences with literature. It will appeal to a wide range of scholars across philosophy, literature, and German studies.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Labor Markets in a Global Economy: A Macroeconomic Perspective by
Cover of the book The Triple Asian Olympics - Asia Rising by
Cover of the book Elderly Slaves of the Plantation South by
Cover of the book Searching for an Autoethnographic Ethic by
Cover of the book Schools and Styles of Anthropological Theory by
Cover of the book Twentieth Century Land Settlement Schemes by
Cover of the book Principles and Practices for Response in Second Language Writing by
Cover of the book Understanding Globalization by
Cover of the book The Little Ice Age by
Cover of the book Jungian Sandplay (RLE: Jung) by
Cover of the book Coping with Threatened Identities by
Cover of the book Carbon Capture and its Storage by
Cover of the book Requiem For Modern Politics by
Cover of the book The Making of Neoclassical Economics (Routledge Revivals) by
Cover of the book Cleopatras by
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy