Siegfried Kracauer (key Contemporary Thinkers)
by Graeme Gilloch /
2015 / English / PDF, EPUB
2.5 MB Download
This major new book offers a much-needed introduction to the work
of Siegfried Kracauer, one of the main intellectual figures in
the orbit of the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory. It is part
of a timely revival and reappraisal of his unique contribution to
our critical understanding of modernity, the interrogation of
mass culture, and the recognition of both the dynamism and
diminution of human experience in the hustle and bustle of the
contemporary metropolis. In stressing the extraordinary variety
of Kracauer’s writings (from scholarly philosophical treatises to
journalistic fragments, from comic novels to classified reports)
and the dazzling diversity of his themes (from science and urban
architectural visions to slapstick and dancing girls), this
insightful book reveals his fundamental and formative influence
upon Critical Theory and argues for his vital relevance for
cultural analysis today.
This major new book offers a much-needed introduction to the work
of Siegfried Kracauer, one of the main intellectual figures in
the orbit of the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory. It is part
of a timely revival and reappraisal of his unique contribution to
our critical understanding of modernity, the interrogation of
mass culture, and the recognition of both the dynamism and
diminution of human experience in the hustle and bustle of the
contemporary metropolis. In stressing the extraordinary variety
of Kracauer’s writings (from scholarly philosophical treatises to
journalistic fragments, from comic novels to classified reports)
and the dazzling diversity of his themes (from science and urban
architectural visions to slapstick and dancing girls), this
insightful book reveals his fundamental and formative influence
upon Critical Theory and argues for his vital relevance for
cultural analysis today.
Kracauer’s work is distinguished by an acute sensitivity to the
‘surface manifestations’ of popular culture and a witty,
eminently readable literary style. In exploring and making
accessible the work of this remarkable thinker, this book will be
indispensable for scholars and students working in many
disciplines and interdisciplinary fields: sociology and social
theory; film, media and cultural studies; urban studies, cultural
geography and architectural theory; philosophy and Critical
Theory.
Kracauer’s work is distinguished by an acute sensitivity to the
‘surface manifestations’ of popular culture and a witty,
eminently readable literary style. In exploring and making
accessible the work of this remarkable thinker, this book will be
indispensable for scholars and students working in many
disciplines and interdisciplinary fields: sociology and social
theory; film, media and cultural studies; urban studies, cultural
geography and architectural theory; philosophy and Critical
Theory.