Benjamin positioned surrealism as moving toward political praxis

Evidence

In his discussion of French writers from Barris to Gide, Benjamin showed his distance from the Leninist strain in Marxist aesthetics. For example, he contended that surrealism, although beginning apolitically with Apollinaire, was moving towards reconciliation with political praxis, in the work of Breton and Aragon (p. 73). — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination, 1497

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Benjamin’s flaneur figure supported readings emphasizing his static worldview — Martin Jay, The Dialectical Imagination: A History…, 624; Surrealism is a revolutionary movement resolving the contradiction between daily life and dreams.; Avant-garde art depends on concrete political conditions, not just aesthetic logic — Alex Callinicos, Against Postmodernism: A Marxist…, 243 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Surrealism is a revolutionary movement resolving the contradiction between daily life and dreams. #expands (0.82)
• Avant-garde art depends on concrete political conditions, not just aesthetic logic #expands (0.78) — Alex Callinicos, Against Postmodernism, 243