What is a flaneur? And how does the concept, as originally expressed, still hold (or not) in today’s moment?
The flaneur, as a philosophical and literary mode of exploration and leisure, is still wholly applicable in today’s world. However, the literal figure of a fashionable, strolling man whose “passion and...profession is to become one flesh with the crowd,” is almost contradictory with current American society. Working hard, busyness, constant self-development, as well as spending on bigger, better goods are all prevalent today, well aligning with capitalism and consumerism, both of which seem to contradict with the soul of the flaneur. Furthermore, the current technologies of smartphones and endless internet content provide mind-numbing
The flaneur, as a philosophical and literary mode of exploration and leisure, is still wholly applicable in today’s world. However, the literal figure of a fashionable, strolling man whose “passion and...profession is to become one flesh with the crowd,” is almost contradictory with current American society. Working hard, busyness, constant self-development, as well as spending on bigger, better goods are all prevalent today, well aligning with capitalism and consumerism, both of which seem to contradict with the soul of the flaneur. Furthermore, the current technologies of smartphones and endless internet content provide mind-numbing