The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

This is a term that denotes the genuine or real quality of an object or attitude. It can also more generally be used to refer to the factual status of an object as tied to a historical moment in time and/or historical figure. Benjamin closely relates authenticity to his notion of aura. Determining the authenticity of a work of art is what confirms its aura, because it ties it to “its testimony to the history which it has experienced” (221). Photographs and films do not have authenticity in that copies, which are made mechanically, are indistinguishable from the original, rendering the concept of “original” obsolete.

In contemporary parlance, this term is often used to describe new religious movements with extreme beliefs. However, Benjamin does not use this term in that way. When referring to the “cult value” (224) of an object, he is describing its importance within a religious or cultural system to a relatively specific group of people, in contrast to an object designed for the masses. We see a similar use in the contemporary expression “cult film,” which describes a film that is not widely popular but highly valued by a small group. Cult value also connotes something of a sacred quality (not necessarily religious) that an object takes on or is granted within the context of a particular society, however large or small.

This term describes an early 20th century artistic movement characterized by its challenge to easy interpretation, traditional forms of painting, sculpture, etc., and highly fragmentary forms. According to Benjamin, Dadaism “attempted to create by pictorial—and literary—means the effects which the public today seeks in the film” (237). He notes that Dadaist artwork, despite dubious quality, sought to “outrage the public” (238). Similarly, film seeks to physically “shock” (238) the public, without the moral dimension that Dadaism employed.

In ancient philosophy, this term refers to a mode of logical argumentation premised on a dialogue between two actors. Specifically, it is a strategy for arriving at some truth by identifying and exposing contractions within an argument and pitting oppositional arguments against each other for the purposes of finding the truth.

However, Benjamin’s use of dialectic comes from the Marxist tradition which seeks to discuss and analyze phenomena from the perspective that all phenomena are interdependent and ever changing. There is no way to analyze something without taking into consideration all the other things (phenomena) that contribute to our understanding of that thing. Further, any analysis of a phenomena must also view it as something that will change over time. In this way, the Marxist dialectic approach seeks to hold those contradictions—a phenomenon is and is not an isolated thing and a phenomenon can and cannot be easily identified over time—in the practice of cultural or philosophical analysis.

This term refers to a governmental system characterized by a dictator who suppresses all dissent and seeks to control all aspects of society. Fascism is also distinguished by its extreme nationalism and racism. Benjamin uses this term to describe specifically the Nazi regime in Germany and Italian Fascism. The term here does not just refer to specific elements of government or politics, but additionally to the way that Fascist regimes permeate all aspects of society and culture.

The term refers to the notion of progress, as in the advancement of politics and material conditions that are purportedly beneficial for society as a whole. As used by Benjamin, the term refers to what he sees as a beneficial politics: one where the population has more control over how things are produced. As an example, he describes how in the era of mass literacy and the printing press, anyone can become a writer, and this is a progressive outcome of new technology. But the concept of progress can be easily manipulated by Fascist politics that does not change the material conditions of the public but does give them “a chance to express themselves” (241).

This term describes how the conscious and unconscious minds work and the procedure for unearthing these twin processes so that they become evident to the subject. This term and method was popularized by Freud, who is referenced in the essay. Benjamin uses the term to draw connections between how film can be analyzed closely in the same way that psychoanalysis allows mental processes to be analyzed closely.

To Benjamin, Fascist politics are characterized by this term. Rather than seeking to move society forward for the betterment of all, Fascists seek to impede progress by reacting (often violently) toward new ideas or beliefs. For instance, he describes a “reactionary” response to surrealism, a form of artwork that the Nazis found decadent because of the way it subverted traditional art forms.