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Critical Perspectives on Modern Culture
Melancholy Dialectics: Walter Benjamin and the Play of Mourning
A new interpretation of the work of one of the major critical thinkers of the twentieth century
281 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1993
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 2, 2023
I finished this one weeks ago and have been waiting to leave a review, but was hoping for some wave of feeling articulate which hasn't come. It's weird, Goodreads has definitely changed my relationship to books, sometimes for the better but also sometimes for the questionable. Used to be I could just read a book, feel inspired, shelve it and move on. Now I'm always thinking in the back of my mind... "What will I say about it?" It sometimes adds a level of almost stress - even work - to what was before a purely joyful activity. However, it's also prompted a lot of creative writing so we are talking something really mixed emotionally here. Hmm...
But how does this absolutely stellar work not have one written review of it?! That's what is egging me on to say something.
For those less than a handful who bother to read my reviews, you've probably heard how I wrote my masters thesis in anthropology on melancholia. The theme is central to my thinking and interests. So when I write that I only WISH I could have written something close to this on the theme or trope of melancholia, know that it is quite personal to me.
Look, this is an extremely niche work. No way around it. Walter Benjamin? Niche writer. Melancholia? Niche topic and trope. Literature criticism in general, a niche genre. So, yeah, this isn't for everyone. But holy moly, if you have even a passing interest in any of those? This is a master work. A beautiful read, that not only helps explain Benjamin's thought and theories, but also gives you a new lens through which to look at authors and movements such as Baudelaire, Proust, and surrealism/dadaism. Not to mention that it is a work of and about the empty calling hole at the center of modernism.
Even if you only read the Introduction, you would be treated to a conversation about melancholia and modernism, in philosophy, literature, and critical thinking.
Pensky is a poetic and clear writer about all of these topics, opening a world of thought that not only applies to this specific subject matter but also so much else around you. So much that was happening above and below the surface of 20th century thought. And it absolutely was of a piece with my other recent readings of this same period, such as Monk's bio of Wittgenstein, Labatut's recent masterpiece on von Neumann, and even someone like Salinger (I recently re-read Catcher in the Rye, which I would love to review but feel completely overwhelmed by).
There was something in the water for those early to mid 20th century modernists, and a gaping loss of any reliable structure was central to that. In fact, while reading this (actually re-reading this) I realized that much of how I think about modernism came from this work. I had forgotten the source vector for the core of my thought, and then, there in the introduction, there it was.
So yeah.
Not going to lie and pretend that this isn't a hard sell for most people.
But if any of what I just said peaks your interest and raises your antennas, go seek this one out.
Absolutely receives the Goatboy stamp of approval.
But how does this absolutely stellar work not have one written review of it?! That's what is egging me on to say something.
For those less than a handful who bother to read my reviews, you've probably heard how I wrote my masters thesis in anthropology on melancholia. The theme is central to my thinking and interests. So when I write that I only WISH I could have written something close to this on the theme or trope of melancholia, know that it is quite personal to me.
Look, this is an extremely niche work. No way around it. Walter Benjamin? Niche writer. Melancholia? Niche topic and trope. Literature criticism in general, a niche genre. So, yeah, this isn't for everyone. But holy moly, if you have even a passing interest in any of those? This is a master work. A beautiful read, that not only helps explain Benjamin's thought and theories, but also gives you a new lens through which to look at authors and movements such as Baudelaire, Proust, and surrealism/dadaism. Not to mention that it is a work of and about the empty calling hole at the center of modernism.
Even if you only read the Introduction, you would be treated to a conversation about melancholia and modernism, in philosophy, literature, and critical thinking.
Pensky is a poetic and clear writer about all of these topics, opening a world of thought that not only applies to this specific subject matter but also so much else around you. So much that was happening above and below the surface of 20th century thought. And it absolutely was of a piece with my other recent readings of this same period, such as Monk's bio of Wittgenstein, Labatut's recent masterpiece on von Neumann, and even someone like Salinger (I recently re-read Catcher in the Rye, which I would love to review but feel completely overwhelmed by).
There was something in the water for those early to mid 20th century modernists, and a gaping loss of any reliable structure was central to that. In fact, while reading this (actually re-reading this) I realized that much of how I think about modernism came from this work. I had forgotten the source vector for the core of my thought, and then, there in the introduction, there it was.
So yeah.
Not going to lie and pretend that this isn't a hard sell for most people.
But if any of what I just said peaks your interest and raises your antennas, go seek this one out.
Absolutely receives the Goatboy stamp of approval.
Displaying 1 of 1 review