本雅明审美救赎思想研究

【作者】 翁再红；

【导师】 赵凯；

【作者基本信息】 安徽大学 ， 美学， 2005， 硕士

【摘要】 本雅明作为西方马克思主义的重要代表,以自己天才的洞察力考察了其身处的现代西方社会,并清醒地作出这样一个结论:现代资本主义不仅带来了前所未有的物质文明,同时还带来了灾难性的后果。基于这一认识,本雅明建构起了他独特的审美救赎理论。 按照本雅明思想的发展轨迹,可以从三个主要的方面去把握他的审美救赎思想。首先,以语言的“翻译”为中心的审美救赎观。这一时期他更多地把救赎的讨论停留在形而上的层面。本雅明把马克思主义的辩证法批判的思维方式融入到对语言的思考中,看到了语言背后的现代性问题,或者说他是在借语言问题,展示了一幅现代性语境下人类堕落的图画。因为在本雅明看来,语言是人类获得上帝拯救和存在意义的基本保证。如果语言在现代资本主义文明中彻底堕落了,那么就不仅仅是语言本身的堕落,而实际上是更深层次的人的堕落。于是本雅明试图通过寻找语言的种子,利用“翻译”的方式从现存的文学、艺术、文化中寻回曾经和谐的“传统”,怀着对社会特有的关怀寻求救赎之路。 其次,以寓言的写作方式为主的审美救赎观。这也是其整个审美救赎思想的核心。在本雅明看来,寓言具有体裁与内涵相分离的特征,因此,它在形式上是离心的,呈现出碎片状的特点。也正是因此,本雅明认为寓言这种独特的形式可以把死亡与再生、废墟与天堂、腐朽与繁华等等看似背道而驰的抽象命题结合于自身,所展示出的死亡与腐朽的意象能够使人彻悟尘世生活的毫无意义,从而在废墟中升起救赎的愿望与动力。因此,它成为了本雅明的一种解构和重建的武器,无论是在他详尽论述的德国十七世纪的巴罗克文学中,还是深刻地解读波德莱尔的寓言化的诗歌中,他都清醒地拿起寓言理论这个锐利的武器直指现代性状况下的资本主义社会,无疑,它的终极目标还是指向了审美救赎。 最后,把现代科技运用到文化艺术中的审美救赎观。在这一阶段本雅明把审美救赎落实到了可操作层面,集中地讨论了现代电影的审美功能。在本雅明看来,电影是艺术平民化、大众化的一个标志,作为一门新兴的艺术样式,它不再具有传统艺术作品所富有的独一无二的“韵味”。观众在面对电影时,不再像是面对传统艺术品时那样屏气凝神,静静地伫足把玩艺术品的独特韵味,取而代之,电更多还原

【Abstract】 As one of the most important representative of Western Marxism, Benjamin observed western modern society with his congenital discernment. And then he drew a conclusion expressly that modern capitalism had brought catastrophic aftermath as well as unprecedented substantial civilization. Based on this, Benjamin built his unique theory of aesthetic salvation.According to the development of his thoughts, Benjamin’s theory of aesthetic salvation can be caught on from three aspects: At first, the theory of aesthetic salvation focused on lingual "translation". During this period he discussed it mainly on the lay of metaphysics. Benjamin blent the dialectic method of Marxism into his language thoughts, and found the questions of modernity behind language. That is, by dint of language questions, he offered a picture of degenerated human in the context of modernity. For Benjamin, language was the essential factor for human being to gain the salvation from God and the meaning of living. So language’s degeneration in the modern civilization of capitalism was not just the degeneration of language itself, in fact, it was the deeply degeneration of human being. Then, Benjamin tried to find the seeds of language and look for the unisonous "tradition" from literature, art, and culture through the way of "translation". Keeping some special solicitude for modern society, Benjamin looked for the way of salvation.Secondly, the theory of aesthetic salvation focused on the writing mode of allegory, which was the kernel of his whole aesthetic salvation theory. For Benjamin, allegory had a trait that its type of literature and meaning was detached, so it was centrifugal in form and had a clastic character. Just because of this, Benjamin considered that allegory could combine some abstract propositions seem to run in the opposite direction such as death and rebirth, remains and paradise, perish and flourish. These propositions could give voice to death and perish, make human being to realize the inanition of earthborn life, and then have the desire and impetus for salvation. So, it became Benjamin’s weapon for deconstruction and reconstruction. In his discussions about 17-century German baroque literature and Baudelaire’s allegorized poems, Benjamin used this sharp weapon to expose the questions of modern capitalism. In fact, its ultimate target pointed to aesthetic salvation.At last, the theory of aesthetic salvation in which he made modern technology into culture and art. During this period Benjamin tried to put his aesthetic salvation theory into effect and discussed aesthetic functions of modern film in a big way. For Benjamin, film was a symbol of the plebeianization and popularization of art. As a new mode of art, film had no any unique "aura" which existed in the traditional art. When audience watched a film, they did not enjoy the unique aura quietly any longer as they appreciated the traditional art. On the contrary, what film brought to audience was the expression of shake. In such disharmonious world, Benjamin discovered profoundly that the traditional art, full of aura and being viewed quietly, could not affect people living in the circumstances of modernity anymore. No other than the expression of shake could activize people’s courage and enthusiasm of revolution.Just because of this, Benjamin admired film very much. His opinions, not in his own times but in the contemporary era, were too idealized.As for its significance, although his aesthetic salvation theory had some Utopian tendency, it had made far-ranging influence on many thinkers coetaneous with him and more posterior literature theorists or aestheticians. And in the contemporary era, it can also enlighten us. His art theory affected many great thinkers such as Horkheimer and Adorno, and is still concerned earnestly by western academe. With his unique mode of thinking, Benjamin always presents himself in the texts and discussions of Western Marxism’s postmodern theories such as Terry Eagleton or Fredric Jameson’s works, and affected many non-Marxism thinkers such as Susan Sontag and J. Hillis Miller too.更多还原