All That Is Solid Melts Into Air: The Experience of Modernity

“And yet everything he has achieved rings hollow, everything around him looks like a pile of junk. He talks endlessly to himself and says he hasn’t lived at all.”

Berman describes the contrast between Faust’s outer success and inner void through the juxtaposition of his achievements with the imagery of “a pile of junk.” This stark disparity emphasizes the theme of existential dissatisfaction prevalent in modern literature, showcasing Berman’s ability to probe the depths of human emotion and the search for meaning beyond material success.

“The angelic child Faust loves disappears before his eyes; love makes her grow up.”

This observation is made about Gretchen’s rapid maturation as a result of her relationship with Faust. She loses her innocence as she confronts the complexities of love, desire, and societal judgment. This quote uses Gretchen’s transformation as a metaphor for the loss of innocence and the painful acquisition of knowledge—a key theme in the Faust legend and Romantic literature. Gretchen’s evolution from innocence to experience, driven by her tumultuous relationship with Faust, serves as a tragic counterpoint to Faust’s own quest for understanding and meaning. This transformation underscores the paradox of enlightenment in Goethe’s narrative: The pursuit of knowledge and experience often leads to suffering and loss.

“Faust’s battle with the elements appears as grandiose as King Lear’s, or, for that matter, as King Midas’ whipping of the waves. But the Faustian enterprise will be less quixotic and more fruitful, because it will draw on nature’s own energy and organize that energy into the fuel for new collective human purposes and projects of which the archaic kings could hardly have dreamt.”

Berman contrasts Faust’s ambitions with those of classical and tragic figures, highlighting the modern aspect of Faust’s endeavors. Unlike the futile efforts of King Lear or King Midas, Faust’s projects are presented as both visionary and achievable within the narrative of modern progress. Berman underscores the transformational potential of modern man’s engagement with nature—not as a force to be endured or feared but as one to be harnessed and redirected toward collective human advancement.

“Goethe’s point is that the deepest horrors of Faustian development spring from its most honorable aims and its most authentic achievements.”

Berman underscores the tragic irony inherent in Faust’s quest for development. Unlike the capitalist driven by profit, Faust is motivated by a vision of human progress and freedom. Berman highlights the paradox that the most noble aspirations can lead to devastating consequences, suggesting a complex critique of modern development itself. This analysis draws attention to the nuanced portrayal of progress in Goethe’s work, where the pursuit of a better future inevitably involves sacrifice and suffering, reflecting the dual nature of human endeavors.

“All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned, and men at last are forced to face with sober senses the real conditions of their lives and their relations with their fellow men.”

This quote from The Communist Manifesto encapsulates the essence of modernity as seen through Marx’s eyes, revealing the transient, fluid nature of material conditions and societal constructs. It highlights the profound transformations and disruptions that characterize the capitalist epoch and upend longstanding traditions and values. Berman identifies this moment as a deeply modernist revelation, paralleling the disorientations and innovations in cultural expressions of modernism. The evocation of “melting” signifies not only loss but also the potential for reconfiguration, embodying the dialectical process of destruction and creation inherent in modernization.

“Take an image like this: ‘All that is solid melts into air.’ The cosmic scope and visionary grandeur of this image, its highly compressed and dramatic power, its vaguely apocalyptic undertones, the ambiguity of its point of view—the heat that destroys is also superabundant energy, an overflow of life—all these qualities are supposed to be hallmarks of the modernist imagination.”

Berman illuminates the striking parallel between Marx’s vision and the thematic concerns of modernist art and literature. This connection challenges the conventional separation between the spheres of economic-political theory and cultural aesthetics. By framing Marx within the context of modernism, Berman suggests that Marx’s analytical perspective on capitalism transcends economic critique to touch upon existential and aesthetic dimensions of modern life. This interpretation opens up a space to reconsider Marx not just as a social theorist but as a figure deeply embedded in the cultural and spiritual tumult of modernity.

“Modern bourgeois society, a society that has conjured up such mighty means of production and exchange, is like the sorcerer who can no longer control the powers of the underworld that he has called up by his spells.”

This quote illustrates what Berman sees as the double-edged sword of capitalist progress. On one hand, this progress brings about unprecedented material advancements and productivity; on the other, it unleashes forces that even its creators cannot predict or manage, leading to environmental degradation, social dislocation, and existential crises. Berman emphasizes the paradox of capitalist development, where the very agents of change become vulnerable to the uncontrollable dynamics they initiate, thus exposing the fragile foundation upon which modern society is built.

“Marx’s hope is that once the unaccommodated men of the working class are ‘forced to face…the real conditions of their lives and their relations with their fellow men,’ they will come together to overcome the cold that cuts through them all.”

Berman encapsulates Marx’s revolutionary optimism, suggesting that the harsh realities of capitalism might catalyze a collective awakening among the proletariat. This quote highlights Berman’s interpretation of Marx’s vision for social transformation, which Marx roots in the shared experiences of hardship and exploitation among workers.

“Thus, along with community and society, individuality itself may be melting into the modern air.”

In this reflective observation, Berman poignantly captures the existential uncertainty that characterizes modern life under capitalism. The metaphor of “melting into the modern air” evokes the dissolution of stable identities and communities, underscoring the profound impact of capitalist dynamics on the very fabric of human relationships and self-conception.

“In the spirit of convergence, I have tried to read Marx as a modernist writer, to bring out the vividness and richness of his language, the depth and complexity of his imagery—clothes and nakedness, veils, haloes, heat, cold—and to show how brilliantly he develops the themes by which modernism will come to define itself.”

Berman effectively positions Marx within the framework of modernist literature, highlighting the emotional and imagistic depth in Marx’s writing that resonates with broader modernist themes. This approach underscores Berman’s view that Marx, often considered strictly in ideological or economic terms, also offers a literary and experiential understanding of modernity. Berman’s analysis emphasizes the interconnectedness of cultural and economic transformations, suggesting that Marx’s insights into the human condition are as significant as his critiques of capitalism.

“The great gift he [Marx] can give us today, it seems to me, is not a way out of the contradictions of modern life but a surer and deeper way into these contradictions.”

Berman acknowledges Marx’s enduring relevance, not as a provider of simple solutions but as a guide to navigating the complexities of modern existence. This perspective presents Marx as a thinker deeply engaged with the paradoxes of modernity, offering insights that compel us to confront rather than avoid the challenging realities of our time. Berman’s interpretation highlights the depth of Marx’s analysis, which provides a framework for understanding and engaging with the contradictory forces that shape modern life.

“Baudelaire’s reputation in the century since his death has developed along the lines de Banville suggests: the more seriously Western culture is concerned with the issue of modernity, the more we appreciate Baudelaire’s originality and courage as a prophet and pioneer.”

Here, Berman acknowledges Baudelaire’s profound impact on the conceptualization of modernity within Western culture, positioning him as a seminal figure whose work has gained significance in proportion to our own engagement with modern concerns. Berman highlights Baudelaire’s ability to reflect and critique the complexities of modern life, suggesting that his exploration of modernity’s paradoxes continues to offer valuable insights into the present day.

“Baudelaire not only celebrates the bourgeois but even flatters them, for their intelligence, willpower, and creativity in industry, trade, and finance.”

This quote highlights an unexpected aspect of Baudelaire’s attitude toward the bourgeoisie, contradicting the common perception of Baudelaire as their adversary. Berman uses this observation to explore the nuanced and sometimes contradictory views Baudelaire held about modern life and those who drive it. Berman’s observation illustrates his interest in the complexities of Baudelaire’s thought, emphasizing that Baudelaire’s engagement with modernity was multifaceted, involving both criticism and admiration.

“As the lovers sit gazing happily into each other’s eyes, suddenly they are confronted with other people’s eyes. A poor family dressed in rags—a graybearded father, a young son, and a baby—come to a stop directly in front of them and gaze raptly at the bright new world that is just inside.”

Berman captures a moment that crystallizes the tension between private joy and public space and between the affluent and the impoverished. This scene illustrates the underlying social stratifications of modern urban life, where moments of personal contentment can be abruptly juxtaposed against the stark realities of others’ hardships. It’s a vivid depiction of the duality of modern existence, highlighting the visible contrasts and involuntary interactions within the shared spaces of a city.

“Only the most radical reconstruction of modern society could even begin to heal the wounds—personal as much as social wounds—that the boulevards bring to light.”

Berman points toward a deeper, systemic issue reflected in Baudelaire’s work: the inadequacy of surface-level solutions to address the profound divisions and disparities of modern urban life. This statement emphasizes the interconnectedness of personal and social realms, suggesting that true resolution requires transformative changes in societal structures and values. Berman interprets Baudelaire’s observations as a call for a more inclusive and equitable vision of modernity, where the beauty and opportunities of the city are accessible to all its inhabitants, thereby healing the fissures that modernization has wrought.

“In many ways, the modernism of Baudelaire’s primal modern scenes is remarkably fresh and contemporary. In other ways, his street and his spirit seem almost exotically archaic.”

Berman navigates the complex temporal landscape of Baudelaire’s work, juxtaposing its enduring relevance with its historical distance from contemporary experiences. This quote highlights the dual nature of Baudelaire’s reflections on modernity: They are at once timeless in their exploration of urban life and its discontents and yet distinctly rooted in the specifics of the 19th century. Berman suggests that while the socio-political and emotional conflicts Baudelaire grapples with remain central to the urban experience, the ways in which we confront and mask these conflicts have evolved, thus reshaping our interaction with the urban landscape.

“We have little sense of personal dignity, of necessary egoism…Are there many Russians who have discovered what their real activity is? […] And do you know what a Petersburg dreamer is, gentlemen?…

In the streets he walks, with a drooping head, paying little attention to his surroundings…but if he does notice something, even the most ordinary trifle, the most insignificant fact assumes a fantastic coloring in his mind.”

Dostoevsky’s portrayal of the “Petersburg dreamer” captures the essence of the city’s inhabitants—detached yet prone to flights of imaginative fancy. This quote reflects the internal conflict and disorientation experienced by those living in a city that itself embodies the clash between progress and stagnation. The dreamer’s character highlights a key aspect of St. Petersburg’s modernism: the struggle for identity and meaning in a rapidly changing yet fundamentally unchanging society.

“One of the remarkable features of Russia’s age of underdevelopment is that in the span of barely two generations it produced one of the world’s great literatures.”

This observation by Berman highlights the complex relationship between adversity and creativity within the context of modernism. Despite—or perhaps because of—its “underdevelopment,” Russia experienced a cultural renaissance that produced profound literary works. Berman suggests that the pressures and contradictions of modernity can spur artistic and intellectual innovation. This quote illuminates the idea that modernism thrives not only in the advancement of societies but also in their struggles, where the search for meaning becomes more pronounced.

“The moral imagination and courage of these little men surge up suddenly, like the Admiralty’s golden needle piercing through the Petersburg fog.”

Berman uses the metaphor of the Admiralty spire, a landmark of St. Petersburg, to symbolize the unexpected and ephemeral moments of clarity, courage, and action that pierce through the fog of despair and nihilism enveloping the city’s residents. This poetic imagery encapsulates Berman’s view of modernity as both a condition of existential disorientation and a stage for acts of profound moral and imaginative significance. It reflects his understanding of modern life as fraught with contradictions, where moments of truth and action emerge from the most unlikely sources, illuminating the depths of human potential amidst the alienation and fragmentation of urban existence.

“The central themes of this book have been the fate of ‘all that is solid’ in modern life ‘to melt into air.’ The innate dynamism of the modern economy, and of the culture that grows from this economy, assimilates everything—physical environments, social institutions, metaphysical ideas, artistic visions, moral values—in order to create the world anew.”

Berman elucidates the core paradox of modernity, highlighting its relentless drive to revolutionize and recreate every aspect of life, thereby engendering a perpetual state of flux. This insight underscores the existential and societal upheaval inherent to modern existence, where nothing remains static and everything is subject to transformation. Berman’s analysis reveals the multifaceted impact of modernity, which affects not only the physical world but also the realm of ideas and values. This analysis reflects Berman’s deep engagement with the complexities and contradictions of modern life.

“I will begin this section with a discussion of Robert Moses, whose constructions had a destructive and disastrous impact on my early life, and whose specter still haunts my city today.”

Berman personalizes the narrative of modernization in New York by introducing the figure of Robert Moses, a controversial architect of the city’s physical landscape. By acknowledging the profound personal and communal repercussions of Moses’s urban projects, Berman emphasizes the tangible, often contentious effects of modernist planning on individuals’ lives. This approach highlights the intersection of the personal and political in the experience of modernity, illustrating how urban transformations can shape personal histories and collective memories.

“Moses seemed to glory in the devastation. […] Compared with his earlier, rural and suburban highways, the only difference here was that ‘There are more houses in the way…more people in the way—that’s all.’”

Berman highlights the dehumanizing aspect of Moses’s approach to urban planning, where homes and communities are reduced to mere obstacles in the path of progress. This quote underscores the moral and ethical implications of Moses’s work, prompting consideration of the broader consequences of prioritizing infrastructure over individual lives and communities. Berman’s critique extends beyond Moses, touching on systemic issues within urban development that prioritize physical expansion over human well-being.

“The expressway world presented it as the only possible modern world: to oppose them and their works was to oppose modernity itself, to fight history and progress, to be a Luddite, an escapist, afraid of life and adventure and change and growth.”

Berman captures the prevailing mid-20th-century attitude that equated modernization with progress, to the extent that any opposition was seen as backward or anti-modern. This binary framing, Berman suggests, stifled genuine critique and boxed individuals into accepting harmful urban policies. His critique highlights the false dichotomy often presented by proponents of aggressive urban development, thereby revealing the complexity and nuance of debates about what constitutes true progress.