The Dissipation and Reconstruction of "Aura": A Comparative Study of Object-Self Relations in Benjamin and Song-Dynasty Literati Aesthetics of Appreciation

This paper examines the dissipation and reconstruction of "aura" through a comparative study of Walter Benjamin's concept and Song-dynasty literati aesthetics of appreciation, analyzing the similarities and differences in object-self relations manifested in this process. Benjamin argues that modern technological reproduction leads to the dissipation of the aura of the artwork's authenticity, transforming the object into a mass-producible commodity and widening the distance between human and object. By contrast, Song literati, through practices such as connoisseurship, inscription, and refined appreciation, imbued objects with personal ideals and historical consciousness, reconstructing the aura of objects in everyday appreciation and achieving an aesthetic state of object-self integration. This paper contends that both confront the crisis of aura's dissolution, yet Benjamin adopts a melancholy perspective of modernist critique, while Song literati actively reconstruct object-self identity through aesthetic participation. Through this comparison, the study reveals the dynamic negotiation mechanisms of object-self relations in different cultural contexts, offering a cross-cultural reference for contemporary reflections on materiality, humanistic spirit, and the value of art in the technological age.