Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1999 21:04:20
From: Ralph Dumain <rdumain-AT-igc.org>
Subject: RICHARD WOLIN'S BENJAMIN


Richard Wolin's WALTER BENJAMIN: AN AESTHETIC OF REDEMPTION appears to be a
very prominent book and comes well-recommended.  I picked up a friend's
copy and I find it most readable so far.  I must admit I still have a time
though putting it all together even though Wolin's task is to eludicate the
overall structure of Benjamin's thought.  It becomes obvious how easy it is
for the uninitiated to misread Benjamin's intentions at every turn.  

Take the question that now occupies us, Benjamin's attitude toward art.
Habermas is quoted to make a distinction between ideology critique (Adorno,
 Marcuse) and redemptive critique (Benjamin).  Allegedly, redemptive
critique "relates _conservatively_  rather than _critically_ to its
object."  "At issue is a _metaphysic of redemption_, whereby through the
'mortification' of the work of art as an autonomous, independent entity
accomplished by the philosophical insight of the critic, the 'dead,'
historical, 'material content' of the work is mediated to the point where
its 'truth content'--an idea in the Neo-Platonic sense--bursts forth and
its link to the realm of redeemed life is thereby revealed."  (p. 29-30)  

OK, I can get a vague idea of how I was wrong but I still don't know what
the hell this means.

I must also admit I find Benjamin's interest in Kabbalah and his hostility
toward science off-putting.  Pehaps all will come together with furter
explanation, but my initial reaction to everything I read is one of hostility.




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