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Faye's avatar

Thank you for this. I actually read this entire series within one day and am glad to have hopped on only moments after you had finished!

I’m currently on my 4th read of Benjamin’s piece and due to his “economical” style of writing I find myself discovering something new each time or negating my own prior interpretations. This was a very helpful series in helping me reaffirm and reevaluate my study of Benjamin thus far.

There are many rebranded vulgarizations of Benjamin out there (one particular TikTok video I came across recently was to the extent that Benjamin helped a fashion enthusiast not want to be “basic” anymore and embrace having his own individual "aura" - funny take).

I find the most clear indication of Benjamin’s stance to be in "Section X," where after talking about the Soviet social functionality of art he footnotes a criticism of Aldous Huxley, who being against such reproduction, Benjamin notes as “obviously not progressive.”

I do think to some degree that Benjamin was fond of “aural” aspects, but there are many eras of Benjamin. Perhaps I’m just thinking of the Benjamin who had attachments to the ephemeral - the Benjamin of “Unpacking My Library” (1931) who held onto a large collection of special and first edition books. I’m reminded of cultural critics such as Hiroki Azuma, a self-proclaimed “otaku” who sought to criticize “otaku” through a Hegelian framework. I think Benjamin both had partiality to the “aura,” but as a Marxist knew it ought to be destroyed in the general scheme.

Anywho, very much appreciate the read!

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