“迷醉”或“清醒”:瓦尔特·本雅明对耶拿浪漫派“批评”概念的研究初探

“Intoxication”or“Sobriety”:A Research on Walter Benjamin’s Exploration of Art Criticism in Jena Romanticism

本文以《德国浪漫派的艺术批评概念》为核心文本,考察了瓦尔特·本雅明的浪漫派研究。在这部早期的作品中,本雅明讨论了耶拿浪漫派的“批评”概念,并在此基础上指出,这一思潮的精神气质不是迷醉而狂热的,而是冷静而清醒的:它不沉迷于主观幻想,而是通过严肃的沉思追求客观真理;它并非偏狭的特殊性,而是关照着人类精神整体的发展脉络。这一讨论为本雅明回应现代性危机奠定了基础,它跨越了艺术理论的范畴,呼应了德国在世纪之交的现实处境,分享着德国社会理论的问题视野。讨论“批评”概念及其冷静清醒的气质有助于我们理解现代社会的危机以及本雅明早期作品对社会理论所做的贡献。

At the end of the 19th century,the tension between rationality and irrationality constituted the spiritual climate of Germany.On the one hand,more profit and higher efficiency,regarded as“progress”of individuality and society,had created a more prosperous material world but failed to provide population with inner peace and satisfaction.On the other hand,in order to fight against the boredom of the material civilisation,the youth indulged in subjective fantasy and particular experiences in the name of“Romanticism”.It allowed people to temporarily escape from the problems of excessive rationalisation but couldn’t help them achieve true redemption of the soul.It is in this context that Benjamin carried out his early representative work The Concept of Criticism in German Romanticism and other contemporaneous studies on Romanticism.In these works,Benjamin clarified the core spirit of Romanticism,especially Jena Romanticism based on their concept of“criticism”.He pointed out the ethos of Romanticism was not about being intoxicated and fanatical,but calm and sober.Rather than subjective fantasies,it pursued objective truth through serious contemplation,and rather than narrow particularities,it concerned with the history of human spirit as a whole.Benjamin’s discussion on art criticism and the sober character of Romanticism sheds a light on the relationship between literature,history and truth,as well as the effective ways to deal with the crisis of modernity.In addition,through the elaboration of Adorno and others,this discussion has had a profound impact on the Frankfurt school and even on the critical theory in Europe as a whole.Benjamin’s work transcends the category of art,and echoes the social reality of Germany at the turn of the century,shares the common vision of German social theory.Therefore,for the purpose of understanding the value of Romanticism and Benjamin’s contribution to social theory,this paper builds its discussion by focusing on the concept of“criticism”.