Abstract
Walter Benjamin’s critique of surrealism plays a special role in the development of his thought. Surrealism, according to Benjamin, focuses on experience as the “profane illumination,” the task of which is to gain energy for the sake of revolution. In short, surrealism is in essence a political movement, its method being revolutionary nihilism and its core elements including the experience of radical freedom, the organization of pessimism, and the image-space as political sphere. The image-space is closely tied to the body-space, which indicates that surrealism would necessarily transform into a kind of body politics. Such body politics wherein technology and innervation play a key role must be interpreted in the framework of Benjamin’s anthropology and theology. The primary intent and uniqueness of Benjamin’s critique of surrealism lie precisely in the formation of such body politics.
Keywords
Walter Benjamin, surrealism, profane illumination, image-space, body politics
First Page
181
Last Page
190
Recommended Citation
Xu, Wengui. 2022. "Walter Benjamin’s Critique of Surrealism and Its Body Politics." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 42, (4): pp.181-190. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol42/iss4/19
