Customer Reviews

The Work of Art in The Age of Mechanical Reproduction

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Walter Benjamin's assessment of the nature and the value of art in juxtaposition to an industrial, materialistic, and modernizing world is a must-read for anyone interested in the study of communications media and the arts in society. Without this essay, the work of many modern critics, including Marshall McLuhan and Frederic Jameson, among others, would never have been conceived.

But remember, Benjamin was a socialist. His writing is in the public domain and available free of charge here (regardless of what country you're in):

http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/ge/benjamin.htm

I appreciate the role that Amazon has had in the dissemination of information at the dawn of the digital age, despite their primarily commercial interests. It is unfortunate that the US falls prey to unjust copyright regulations that limit access to freely available content, essentially holding knowledge hostage and demanding ransom. I hope this review will not be taken down.

Your first step in that direction would be not to buy this book. This essay is available in "Illuminations" along with a host of others for just a little more money. $9.95 for a 36 page essay? Prove how smart you are.

What can I say? This is a modern print version of the classic work on art in modern capitalist society. It's a must read for anyone interested in the subject, Walter Benjamin, or just the effect the evolution of society has on art and vice versa. For the few dollars it costs, it's more than worth it.