The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
Comm 1125 — Media Theory
Walter Benjamin’s essay considers the cultural implications of art’s reproducibility. Your task in small groups is to get a handle on a section of the essay. When we reconvene as a group, we’ll get a good summary of the piece. This should set the stage for a discussion of its implications.
In your groups, start by making sure everyone knows everyone else’s name. Then take a look at the passage you are assigned: your task is to
1) determine the main point (or points) of each numbered section, and to
2) choose and interpret one or two key quotes from each numbered section.
Your group should select someone to speak for you who has not already spoken for a small group in previous exercises. Our goal, as was the case with the Peters essay, is to be able to explain the essay to one another section by section. I’ll explain sections I-III before we begin, and the epilogue after we finish.
Group 1: IV-V (223-225)
Group 2: VI-VII (225-228)
Group 3: VIII-IX (228-230)
Group 4: X-XI (230-234)
Group 5: XII-XIII (234-237)
Group 6: XIV-XV (238-240)
Advice: don’t worry about the names of people or schools of thought he cites: just concern yourself with the ideas he puts forth.