On Goethe

By: Walter Benjamin, Peter Fenves (Editor), Kevin McLaughlin (Editor), Susan Bernstein (Editor)

Write A Review

Hardcover | 29 April 2025

At a Glance

Hardcover
277 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 15.24

Hardcover

$328.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $82.19 with

or

Ships in 10 to 15 business days

On Goethe contains the full range of Walter Benjamin''s reflections on the central figure in modern German culture. The writings in this volume—newly translated, fully annotated, and framed by an extensive introduction—display a variety of styles and cover a vast array of topics. The collection revolves around two strikingly different essays. Whereas "Goethe''s Elective Affinities" develops a theory of critique in which a work is illuminated wholly from within itself, an article Benjamin wrote on Goethe for the Soviet Encyclopedia represents his first large-scale attempt to elaborate a historical-materialist methodology. The other thirty translations stand in similarly productive tension with one another. Some are concerned with concepts of beauty and categories of the aesthetic, others with the relation of art to politics and the status of "classical authors" in contemporary culture, and still others with what remains of humanistic traditions in the wake of their disappearance under fascist regimes and what synthesis is required for the construction of a historical object. The volume provides a glimpse into the laboratory of Benjamin''s thought, while granting readers a series of insights into the epochal phenomena that gather around the name "Goethe."

Industry Reviews

"Throughout his career, Benjamin pondered the secret of Goethe's genius. The answers he gave in this scrupulously edited volume illuminate not only the legacy of Germany's most eminent literary figure, but also its unexpected impact on its greatest critic."-Martin Jay, author of Immanent Critiques: The Frankfurt School Under Pressure "This collection of Benjamin's reflections on Goethe is inspiring testimony to the contemporary relevance of the encounter between the most canonical German author and the most idiosyncratic modern German-Jewish thinker. An essential resource for future research."-Vivian Liska, author of German-Jewish Thought and its Afterlife: A Tenuous Legacy

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.