The Flesh of the Work of Art: The Concept of Mortification in Benjamin’s Distancing from Romanticism

Abstract

The concept of mortification in Benjamin's work has generally been misunderstood. The interpretative problem arises because the Christian nature of the concept is often overlooked. This concept implies a more complex relationship between death and life, where only those who mortify the flesh will live (according to Paul's words in the Epistle to the Romans). It is not coincidental that Benjamin first uses the concept in dialogue with Florens Christian Rang, a Christian theologian. Analyzing the issue requires considering Benjamin’s distancing from German Romanticism, which attacks three central concepts: reflective consciousness, organic life, and continuity.