Abstract
In the epilogue of "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction", Walter Benjamin developed a critical model of "aestheticization of politics" in which Italian Futurism is criticized as fascism, which has resulted in heated debates on the relationship between the avant-garde and fascism. This paper attempts to revisit Benjamin's critical model of "aestheticization of politics" by describing and analyzing the context of modernity in which the model is formed in hope of disclosing Benjamin's insights into modernity. The paper tries to justify the model's critical effectiveness for the avant-garde and the contemporary culture. The paper then proceeds to re-examine the aesthetic project of Italian Futurism with the aim to reveal its characteristics of the avant-garde features and its modernity-rooted association with fascism. The paper concludes with a revision and extention of Benjamin's critique on the relationship between the avant-garde and fascism.
First Page
195
Last Page
202
Recommended Citation
Zhou, Yun. 2013. "On Benjamin's Critical Model of "Aestheticization of Politics" Via an Analysis of Italian Futurism." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 33, (4): pp.195-202. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol33/iss4/12
