Walter Benjamin Has Altered The State Of History

Walter Benjamin was a philosopher, an essayist, a literary critic and a social and cultural critic, who was far ahead of his own time, and who opened up new means of viewing and understanding the past as well as the present. He interpreted history from a philosophical perspective and his writings have led to a greater understanding of the fundamental transformations of the last century and for centuries to come. His influence on how history is now understood can not be underestimated. He put forward an alternative way of viewing history through imagery and film and he placed an emphasis on culture that nobody had previously. He also showed us how moments in the past should not be seen in an isolated sense but rather as part of a Ð''constellation' of such moments all through history.

Benjamin was one of the first historians to take the concept of mass culture seriously and in this he differed from other members of the Frankfurt school like Adorno who saw it as a false consciousness. This was outlined in his essay "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction," where he stated that mass culture was "not merely as the source of the phantasmagoria of false consciousness, but as the source of collective energy to overcome it". He appreciated the huge influence of media on the masses, and its power to bring culture to the people, he believed art and literature would no longer be an interest solely for the bourgeoisie elite, but an interest for the masses through new technological advances. He also recognized the power of the image, especially in cinema, in interpreting the past and he foresaw that this would provide a wider, complete view of the past.

Benjamin also put forward a more dynamic view of history in Ð''The Arcades Project' in opposition to linear progressivism, with his interpretation of history as a "constellation". This constellation consisted of historical events which were all interrelated, some closer than others, and also related to the present He

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