The Research Of Benjamin’s Trauerspiel Theory

As an cultural theorist of Frankfurt school, Benjamin is considered to be one of the excellent German literary critics before the second world war. Benjamin’s thought is always keeping a vigorous vitality, from the "Benjamin renaissance" in the1960s among the western academics to the hot flashes of Benjamin’s research in china in the1980s. There are still many degree theses focused on Benjamin in recent years.This paper is mainly about the trauerspiel theory of Benjamin and it consists of six sections. The background, establishment, development and realistic significance of the trauerspiel theory of Benjamin are included, so as to look for his aesthetic ideology.The first section, called the introduction, describes the recent research of Benjamin’s thought. The background and the methodology of the trauerspiel theory of Benjamin are arranged in the second section. The reason for the research of the trauerspiel is to solve the current historical cultural crisis, due to the similarity between the times of Benjamin and the baroque age. In the beginning, the meaning of "origin" is explained. Then he claims that tragedy is a philosophical concept instead of a literary concept, which is common and can be classified. The trauerspiel theory of Benjamin is formed when he separates the baroque trauerspiel and the ancient Greek tragedy from the whole tragedy in the history of tragedy. The similarities and differences of the trauerspiel and the classical tragedy are discussed in various ways. The details are in section three.In the forth section, allegory the form of trauerspiel is explained. Benjamin’s language theory is the basis of his thought about the modernity. Language contains the trace of history, then benjamin discovers allegory from the traditional literature and art, which is the seed of language. The form of fracture and broken in allegory is to deliver the content of the truth. Firstly, allegory and symbol are distinguished. The perfect of the symbol is a kind of fantasy, while allegory treat history as the ruins. Moreover, the broken forms on the stage of the trauerspiel, such as the ruins, death and the cadaver, are the salvation of the real life through allegory. The allegory is regarded as the form of the trauerspiel theory. In the state of the separation between human and nature, the typical symptoms of the writer are melancholy, which is an important feature of allegory.The development of the trauerspiel theory is in the later thought of Benjamin. Allegory is applied to other forms of literature, modern technology and goods and this content is included in section five. The effects of defamiliarization in the epic theatre and the fragment in the form of brecht conveys allegory. The melancholy of human is revealed in kafka’s works, which is the allegory of ordinary people who lives in despair. The lyrics of baudelaire pays special attention to the ragpickers and the flaneurs in order to the feeling of shock. Shock is the nature of allegory. In the case of modern technology and goods, benjamin employs his productive theory of art. Art is similarly divided into two parts:traditional and modern arts. Traditional art, with the form of aura and the value of worship, is beautiful. In the times of mechanical duplication, the quality of reproduction and ornament are stressed in modern art. There’s no aura, no value of worship, instead of the value of exhibition. Human are pastime and the activity of aesthetic has the feature of the public. Allegory is employed to accomplish the value of modern art.The final part contains the conclusion, which discusses the realistic significance of the trauerspiel theory. The realistic significance not only embodies in the special role of trauerspiel theory played in the history of tragedy, but also in his thinking patterns. The legality of the modern art, methodological significance and the new discussion mode of theory setted up by Benjamin, inspires the later generations forever.