Walter Benjamin

Walter Benjamin (1892–1940) was a German Jewish philosopher and cultural critic, author of the essay commonly known in English as 'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction'.

Authored 'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction', argued that technical reproducibility alters the 'aura' and social function of artworks; lived 1892–1940.

A reflective, engaged reading of Benjamin's essay on mechanical reproduction. The review uses the essay as a springboard to discuss authenticity, the 'hic et nunc', and how reproducibility affects music, cinema and mass consumption. It raises questions about ritual, social function and the mixing of high and low culture.

For:Readers interested in cultural criticism, media studies, music and philosophy.