Death is the sanction of everything the story teller can tell. He has borrowed his authority from death

Death is the sanction of everything the story teller can tell. He has borrowed his authority from death

Walter Benjamin, a German philosopher and cultural critic, is known for his profound insights into the nature of storytelling and the role of death in shaping human experience. In his essay "The Storyteller," Benjamin explores the idea that death is the ultimate sanction of everything a storyteller can tell. He argues that the storyteller's authority is derived from the fact that they are able to confront and make sense of the inevitability of death.

For Benjamin, storytelling is a way of coming to terms with the transience and fragility of human existence. By weaving narratives that capture the essence of life and death, storytellers are able to create a sense of meaning and continuity in a world that is constantly changing and uncertain. In this sense, death serves as a powerful reminder of the impermanence of all things, and the storyteller's ability to confront and transcend this reality gives them a unique authority and insight into the human condition.

Benjamin also suggests that the act of storytelling is a form of resistance against the forces of modernity and industrialization that seek to erase the past and homogenize human experience. In a world dominated by technology and mass media, the storyteller's ability to preserve and transmit traditional narratives becomes a subversive act of defiance against the relentless march of progress. By drawing on the wisdom of the past and the collective memory of humanity, storytellers are able to challenge the dominant narratives of the present and offer alternative ways of understanding and interpreting the world.