Baudelaire Contra Benjamin - A Critique of Politicized Aesthetics and Cultural Marxism

This book offers the first sustained argument against the philosophy of Walter Benjamin and his readings of Charles Baudelaire. Drawing upon the existential insights of Baudelaire it is also a critique of politicized aesthetics, and cultural Marxism, of which Benjamin is a pioneering and emblematic figure.

List of contents

Chapter One Political and Artistic Divides in Baudelaire.
Chapter Two The Diabolical Character of Modern Political Redemption.
Chapter Three Benjamin's Politicized Aesthetics.
Chapter Four The God's Eye View of the Historical Materialist.
Chapter Five Paris, Melancholy and Phantasmagoria: Economic Determinations or a Human Soul-scape?
Chapter Six Flâneurs - Baudelaire's Urban Self-Makers, Benjamin's Accomplices of Commodity Capitalism, and Redeeming Rag-pickers.
Chapter Seven Baudelaire's "Depraved" View of Women and Benjamin's Redemption of Commodified Fallen Women.

About the author

Beibei Guan assistant professor of English at Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen.

Wayne Cristaudo is professor of political science at Charles Darwin University.

Summary

This book offers the first sustained argument against the philosophy of Walter Benjamin and his readings of Charles Baudelaire. Drawing upon the existential insights of Baudelaire it is also a critique of politicized aesthetics, and cultural Marxism, of which Benjamin is a pioneering and emblematic figure.

Product details

• Authors: Wayne Cristaudo, Beibei Guan, Beibei Cristaudo Guan
• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.06.2019
• EAN: 9781498595070
• ISBN: 978-1-4985-9507-0
• No. of pages: 234
• Series: Politics, Literature, & Film; Politics, Literature, & Film
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative literary studies; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; LITERARY CRITICISM / General, POLITICAL SCIENCE / History & Theory, Political science & theory, Literature: history & criticism, Political science and theory, Literature: history and criticism