Adorno’s criticisms of Benjamin’s Marxism reveal his own conception of Marxian critique

Evidence

Benjamin believed himself to have gradually ‘reached solid ground [in] the Marxist discussion’ – is the subject of Adorno’s so-called Hornberger letter. Written between 2–5 August 1935, this letter addresses Benjamin’s use of the Marxian critique of economy in an extremely critical and, in Adorno’s own words, ‘carping’ manner. Thus, it provides contemporary readers with valuable insight into Adorno’s own understanding of the subject. — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 221

Categorization

• QUESTION: The Hornberger letter (2-5 Aug 1935) is dated here; worth chasing the full text to see exactly which of Benjamin’s categories Adorno targeted beyond the commodity.
• XREF: connects to: Adorno criticized Benjamin for dissolving the subject into objective processes. — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination: A History…, 268; Adorno rejected Benjamin’s equation of commodity with the archaic — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination: A History…, 617; Adorno demanded Benjamin ground his commodity-soul thesis in Marx’s Capital chapter on fetishism. — Dirk Braunstein, Adorno’s Critique of Political Economy, 290 (+10 more)

Broader Connections

• Adorno rejected Benjamin’s philological method as trapped between magic and positivism. #exemplifies (0.85) — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination, 620