Book contents
- W.G. Sebald in Context
- W.G. Sebald in Context
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Notes on Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Note on Text
- Chronology
- Abbreviations
- Works by W.G. Sebald
- Part I Biographical Aspects
- Part II The Literary Works
- Part III Themes and Influences
- Chapter 17 Critical Writings
- Chapter 18 Minor Writing
- Chapter 19 Franz Kafka
- Chapter 20 Literary Predecessors
- Chapter 21 Walter Benjamin
- Chapter 22 Philosophical Models
- Chapter 23 History
- Chapter 24 Polemics
- Chapter 25 Holocaust
- Chapter 26 Photography
- Chapter 27 Paintings and Ekphrasis
- Chapter 28 Media Theory
- Chapter 29 Travel Writing
- Chapter 30 Ecocriticism and Animal Studies
- Part IV Reception and Legacy
- Further Reading
- Index
Chapter 21 - Walter Benjamin
from Part III - Themes and Influences
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 August 2023
- W.G. Sebald in Context
- W.G. Sebald in Context
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Notes on Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Note on Text
- Chronology
- Abbreviations
- Works by W.G. Sebald
- Part I Biographical Aspects
- Part II The Literary Works
- Part III Themes and Influences
- Chapter 17 Critical Writings
- Chapter 18 Minor Writing
- Chapter 19 Franz Kafka
- Chapter 20 Literary Predecessors
- Chapter 21 Walter Benjamin
- Chapter 22 Philosophical Models
- Chapter 23 History
- Chapter 24 Polemics
- Chapter 25 Holocaust
- Chapter 26 Photography
- Chapter 27 Paintings and Ekphrasis
- Chapter 28 Media Theory
- Chapter 29 Travel Writing
- Chapter 30 Ecocriticism and Animal Studies
- Part IV Reception and Legacy
- Further Reading
- Index
Summary
This contribution traces the singular significance of Walter Benjamin’s philosophy for Sebald’s literary as well as literary critical writings. It offers a discussion of Sebald’s adaptation of Benjaminian theorems and reflections, focussing in particular on the philosophy of history, conceptions of natural history, the epistemological functionalization of melancholia, and a materialist understanding of memory.
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- W. G. Sebald in Context , pp. 184 - 191Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023
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