The Research On Benjamin’ Art Production Theory

As the German’s greatest literary critic in the20th century, Benjamin with its forward-looking theory of literary production occupies an important position in the contemporary Western Marxist literary criticism. This paper firstly analyzes the ideological origins of Benjamin’s literary production theory and its practical background, emphatically stresses the edificatory effect of Marx’s art production ideas and Brecht’s "epic theater" theory on Walter Benjamin’s literary production thought. It also emphasizes his inspection for the Soviet Union’s cultural policy and status during his trip to Moscow. And in order to elaborate Benjamin’s literary production theory,this article will mainly research his later major works, The storyteller、The writers As producers、The work of Art In the Age of Its Technological reproducibility and as well as several articles about Baudelaire which were prepared for The Arcades Project, gradually shows the main concepts and ideas of the theory of his literary production. From the historical materialism of Marx about the social objective development rule, he points out that there are also the artistic productivity and artistic relations of production in the development of the literary, especially emphasizes the importance of artistic productivity namely literary techniques for the literary political orientation and practice significance. Combined with the development of literary production, Benjamin clearly describes the art of storytelling, fiction and journalism with the development of technology and the rise of the decline process. In his thinking of the mechanical reproduction, film as a typical representative, he analysis the changes brought about by the mechanical reproduction of art and artistic creation and art appreciation. The cult value of art is replaced by the exhibition value, and the recession of the traditional "aura" art.Also he is positive and optimistic to the democracy and revolutionary caused by the art of mechanical reproduction. Benjamin sees the possibility of changing the society by the proletariat through using the mechanical reproduction of art rationally.With the method of historical analysis and historical materialism thinking, obtained from Marxism, mainly the idea of alienation and commodity fetishism of Capital, he interprets the cultural situation under the capitalist social conditions, which makes him a deeper understanding of the social situation, hopes to be able to use " politicizing art " to fight against " aestheticizing of politics ".Walter Benjamin’s literary production theory extends the ideas of Marxist literary studies。It can be said that the theory of Marxism material production applies the field of artistic production creatively. How people with inspiration from the macro level to make a better understanding of the literary production, opens up a new dimension to the study of the Western culture.