Goethe’s and Benjamin’s World in Miniature: Promise of Happiness and Ruin in “The new Melusina”

Authors

  • Sonia Arribas ICREA, Departament d'Humanitats, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona

Keywords:

Benjamin, Goethe, The new Melusine, world in miniature, happiness, ruin

Abstract

Walter Benjamin was quite fascinated by the story “The new Melusine”, which appears in Goethe?s Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre. This article follows Benjamin?s references to this tale in his work, from his youth writings to the theses on the concept of history. The main motives of the story are woman and love, on the one hand, and the promise of happiness and ruin, on the other. Their stage is the world in miniature of the little magical chest, a world within the world.

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Published

2016-02-14

How to Cite

Arribas, S. (2016). Goethe’s and Benjamin’s World in Miniature: Promise of Happiness and Ruin in “The new Melusina”. Constelaciones. Revista De Teoría Crítica, 2(2), 61–78. Retrieved from https://constelaciones-rtc.net/article/view/716