Why read City and Modernity in Georg Simmel and Walter Benjamin?

Book cover of City and Modernity in Georg Simmel and Walter Benjamin: Fragments of Metropolis

Book description

This book reconstructs and compares the social theories of modernity of Georg Simmel and Walter Benjamin, two classic thinkers in German social thought. The author focuses on five main topics: the historical-sociological method through which they investigate modernity; how are the concepts of history and society possible; the consequences of…

Explore

Topics

Genres

Political

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked City and Modernity in Georg Simmel and Walter Benjamin as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Thomas Kemple

Author

Even if you’re not a professional academic or a tuition-paying student, sometimes it’s worth making the effort to read a book that is genuinely challenging without being merely frustrating.

Mele’s proficiency in Italian, German, English, and French, along with his erudition in 19th and early 20th-century philosophy, sociology, and literary criticism, are abundantly on display here. And yet he guides us through the fascinating labyrinth of the massive works of these cutting-edge thinkers of "the pre-history of postmodernity" with ease and without ever overwhelming us.

You’ll leave this book wanting to read everything Simmel or Benjamin ever wrote or at…

From Thomas' 3 favorite reads in 2023.