In the last thirty years Walter Benjamin's thought-provoking oeuvre of
cultural critique has been of pivotal importance for different
interpretative communities in Europe and beyond, be it
his literary criticism, his unconventional theory of art, or the
affinity of his thought to Marxism as well as-avant la
lettre--postmodern philosophical positions. In this course we will
focus on Benjamin the comparatist whose perspective is shaped
considerably by his studies of French modernism, however materialist
his work eventually presents itself in the posthumously published
Arcades Project.

We will concentrate on selected writings that relate to modernism as a
period in the arts and its embeddedness in modernity as sociocultural
category. Texts to be discussed (some in abbreviated form):

"The Task of the Translator;" "The Storyteller;"
"The Work of Art in the Age of its Technical Reproduction;' "Theses on
the Philosophy of History," 1, 11, V, VI, IX.
From the Arcades Project: 					
	"Paris, Capital of the 19th Century;"
	"Arcades;" "Baudelaire;" "The Flaneur."

Texts in English assembled in custom-made reader available at
Collegiate Copies. Requirements: A paper based on a 30-min. class
presentation; additional work to be determined. Special agreements for
students in Germanic Studies.