This momentous study of Benjamin’s critical practice marks a sea change in Eagleton’s thought. As the subtitle suggests, its goal is not merely to contemplate Benjamin’s approach to language, history, and art but to chart a dynamic new course for contemporary socialist criticism. To do this, Eagleton brushes Benjamin’s Trauerspiel against seventeenth-century British literature, tests his concept of the “aura” against Freud and Lacan, and undertakes his most sustained engagement with Derrida and the political crossroads of deconstruction.

“Excellent and engaging & Eagleton is informative, witty and wise.” — Times Higher Education Supplement

“Eagleton is second to none among cultural critics writing in the English language today.” — Guardian

Terry Eagleton is Professor of Cultural Theory and John Rylands Fellow, University of Manchester. His books published by Verso include Ideology, The Function of Criticism, and Criticism and Ideology.