The Confusion And Solution: The Spiritual Perspective Of Benjamin's Urban Theory

Walter Benjamin, a literary theorist, penetratesd the urbanites'psychological aspects with wise and profound thought so as to strive for an eternal way of spiritual salvation. He contemplated numerous confusion that modern cities had fallen into from the dimension of space-time through deeply reading the masterpieces written by the modernist writers, such as Franz Kafka, Baudelaire and Proust. His urban theory is the combination of his philosophical thought and critical practice.Urban space is the cornerstone of his urban theory which includes both the social space where the being lives and the spiritual space where the soul exists. It is not only the arena where the living confusion takes place, but also the hope in which the thinkers and critics strive for the spiritual freedom. He attempted to construct a new ideal subjectivity through the criticism to modern art.But he failed because it is dispelled by the replication technology and instrumental rationality.He divided urban time into historical time and current time. The historical time represents urban ruins and it is a tedious and illusionary repetition. While the current time is the salvation instant of the Messiah related to the truth. Exposing and thinking over the urbanites'soul plays an important role in his criticism theory. He dissected the urbanites' disorder and rootless state with prosaic language, deeply requesting their souls, and the confusion of the modernists displays.Benjamin's urban theory is predictable, profound and philosophical. It is the ideological resources which urban development can borrow from against the background of globalization today, and it can provide useful references for improving the spiritual confusion caused by the rapid development of technology.