The Superstructure and Art: A Love-Hate Relationship

      As I read Walter Benjamin's article, I was surprised by his deep focus on art and how the different types gained favor through time. These two quotes stood out to me:
      "Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be. This unique existence of the work of art determined the history to which it was subject throughout the time of its existence. This includes the changes which it may have suffered in physical condition over the years as well as the various changes in its ownership,"
and
      "During long periods of history, the mode of human sense perception changes with humanity’s entire mode of existence."
       Both of these passages seem to incite a conversation about the human condition and how well art is received and used during certain times. Marxism seeks to find elements of classicism and oppression in works of literature, but this article seemed more focused on peoples' perception of art in general and its relation to the public. How does this focus on the human condition reflect the principles of the other theories we've looked at in class? Do you agree with these quotes? And do you agree with Marxist criticism that "proletarianization" is sometimes/often embedded in literature?

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