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jollyquaker 's review for:
Illuminations: Essays and Reflections
by Walter Benjamin
In terms of quality of writing and thought, this book definitely deserves more than 3*, but my own unfamiliarity with the literary greats of continental Europe mean my enjoyment of it was limited. It's a credit to Benjamin that I would now like to know more about Baudelaire, Proust and Kafka. I came to this book via Hannah Arendt, and it's his 'Theses on the Philosophy of History', the final essay in this collection, that really stands out. The image of the 'angel of history' is a particularly striking one.
'The tradition of the oppressed teaches us that the "state of emergency" in which we live is not the exception but the rule. We must attain to a conception of history that is in keeping with this insight. Then we shall clearly realize that it is our task to bring about a real state of emergency, and this will improve our position in the struggle against Fascism.' (p.200)
'The tradition of the oppressed teaches us that the "state of emergency" in which we live is not the exception but the rule. We must attain to a conception of history that is in keeping with this insight. Then we shall clearly realize that it is our task to bring about a real state of emergency, and this will improve our position in the struggle against Fascism.' (p.200)