A Weak Messianic Power

Figures of a Time to Come in Benjamin, Derrida, and Celan

By: Michael G. Levine

Write A Review

Paperback | 11 November 2013

At a Glance

Paperback
192 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.9 x 15.2

Paperback

$103.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $25.94 with

or

Ships in 5 to 10 business days

In his famous theses on the philosophy of history, Benjamin writes: "We have been endowed with a weak messianic power to which the past has a claim." This claim addresses us not just from the past but from what will have belonged to it only as a missed possibility and unrealized potential. For Benajmin, as for Celan and Derrida, what has never been actualized remains with us, not as a lingering echo but as a secretly insistent appeal. Because such appeals do not pass through normal channels of communication, they require a special attunement, perhaps even a mode of unconscious receptivity. Levine examines the ways in which this attunement is cultivated in Benjamin's philosophical, autobiographical, and photohistorical writings; Celan's poetry and poetological addresses; and Derrida's writings on Celan.

Industry Reviews

"The readings in A Weak Messianic Power are subtle and full of unexpected turns, and many are tours de force acts of deconstruction. Levine reads over, almost over the shoulder of, great critical readers, Derrida, Celan, Benjamin, exposing in their writing a wealth of images not apparent to the naked eye. The method is almost astronomical: it brings near the distant contours of a strange temporal figure-a non-homogenous, surprising time. The book offers a strong notion of messianism outside theology, the messianism of the small alteration." -- -Paul North Yale University

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $79.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.