against interpretation susan sontag summary

Part 1 contains two of her more conceptual or theoretical essays, "Against Interpretation" and "On Style." Publisher's Summary. In these pieces, Sontag argues for what she calls an erotics of art to replace dominant modes of interpretation in cultural criticism and makes a modest plea for critic and art appreciators alike to pay closer attention the ways that style is present (or absent) in art works. Originally published in 1966, it has never gone out of print and has influenced generations of readers all over the world. In the first two essays, Sontag tasks herself with introducing the influential French film directors Robert Bresson and Jean-Luc Godard to her American audience by way of a few of their more accessible works. This seminal essay argues (Cf. Against Interpretation is an essay written by American critic Susan Sontag. Kindle $11.99 $ 11. Download books for free. Finally, in her famous "Notes on 'Camp,'" Sontag outlines her seminal theory of camp as a type of aesthetic understanding that emphasizes, style, exaggeration, and theatricality in forms of mode art. Against Interpretation: And Other Essays. Originally published in 1966, it has never gone out of print and has influenced generations of readers all over the world. On-line books store on Z-Library | B–OK. Against Interpretation was Susan Sontag's first collection of essays and is a modern classic. Susan Sontag (/ ˈ s ɒ n t æ ɡ /; January 16, 1933 – December 28, 2004) was an American writer, filmmaker, philosopher, teacher, and political activist. Fourth Printing. She believes that it was the classical period which gave importance to ‘content’ of … Stress the modernity here, since she is distinguished less by a decided or passionate point of view (compare her as a film critic, for example, with two such disparate personalities as James Agee and Kenneth Tynan) than by an eagerness to explore anything new. 2. Publisher's Summary. "Against Interpretation" is Sontag's influential essay within Against Interpretation and Other Essays that discusses the divisions between two different kinds of art criticism and theory: that of formalist interpretation, and that of content-based interpretation. At times this eagerness lapses deliberately into inarticulateness, as in her celebrated essay on … That is, to approach art works with a strong emphasis on form, to “reveal the sensuous surface of art without mucking about in it.”[5], In a contemporary review of the book, Benjamin DeMott of The New York Times praised Against Interpretation as "a vivid bit of living history here and now, and at the end of the sixties it may well rank among the invaluable cultural chronicles of these years." Where this type of interpretation was seen to resolve conflict between past and present by revamping an art work and maintaining a certain level of respect and honour, Sontag believes that the modern style of interpretation has lost sensitivity and rather strives to “excavate...destroy”[2] a piece of art. Against Interpretation and Other Essays. In the latter, Sontag argues that the new approach to criticism and aesthetics neglects the sensuous impact of art, replacing it with tame intellectual interpretations and emphasis on the "content" or "meaning" of a work. This discussion will be chaired by F.… Les meilleures offres pour Sontag, Susan-Against Interpretation BOOK NEUF sont sur eBay Comparez les prix et les spécificités des produits neufs et d'occasion Pleins d'articles en livraison gratuite! In "One Culture and the New Sensibility," Sontag makes an original argument for the function art and art criticism as a modifier of human consciousness, a sensory stimulant, and a gateway for increased receptivity to human experience. FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon. The French intellectual that leaves the largest trace on Against Interpretation is Roland Barthes. Though they bear the stamp of their time, Sontag was remarkably prescient; her project of analysing popular culture as well as high culture, the Doors as well as Dostoevsky, is now common practice throughout the educated world. Download books for free. The essay "The Death of Tragedy" takes a broad step back and examines the state of the dramatic form of theater itself and its relationship to the Western self through the cipher of Lionel Abel's delimitation of the genre of tragedy and his idea of metatheater. help you understand the book. Against Interpretation: And Other Essays. 4.5 out of 5 stars 120. Obviously, whatever interpretation is, Sontag seems against it. from the College of the University of Chicago and did graduate work in philosophy, literature, and theology at Harvard University and … The earliest theory of art, that of the Greek philosophers, proposed that art was mimesis, imitation of reality. In the latter, Sontag argues that the new approach to criticism and aesthetics neglects the sensuous impact of art, replacing it with tame intellectual interpretations and emphasis on the "content" or "meaning" of a work. Susan Sontag: free download. Susan Sontag was born in New York City on January 16, 1933, grew up in Tucson, Arizona, and attended high school in Los Angeles. She discusses and mixes the ideas of other writers and further differentiates two kinds of interpretation – form based interpretation and content based interpretation. Order our Against Interpretation Study Guide, teaching or studying Against Interpretation. When done indiscriminately the films in question begin to look alike, and the process reveals more about the critic than the film. Originally published in 1966, it has never gone out of print and has influenced generations of readers all over the world. The final two essays of the book contain some of Sontag's most significant and influential contributions to the practice of cultural criticism. It includes some of Sontag's best-known works, including "On Style," and the eponymous essay "Against Interpretation." In this way, Sontag asserts that inevitably, the modern style of interpretation separates form and content in a manner that damages an artwork and one's own sensorial appreciation of a piece. The title essay is a plea for a work of art not having to mean anything; it should just be. Part 2 discusses a swathe of European intellectuals, providing critical reviews of their work as well as expository introductions for her decidedly American audience. Brown's 'Life Against Death.'" Nothing was rejected in classical interpretation. Finally, "The Imagination of Disaster" discusses and critically evaluates the science fiction genre in film, while "A Note on Novels and Films" draws interesting parallels between the novel and the cinema as influential aesthetic forms while resisting the temptation to obscure or gloss over their essential differences. Against Interpretation was Susan Sontag's first collection of essays and is a modern classic. Susan Sontag created a sensation in the mid-1960’s with her essay “Against Interpretation.” Although she made it clear that she was not against all interpretation of … And the artists and intellectuals she discusses – Nietzsche, Camus, Godard, Barthes etc – demonstrate that she knew which horses to back. In an essay on performance art and proto-flash mobs, "Happenings: An Art of Radical Juxtaposition" Sontag examines that work of performance art pioneer Allan Kaprow and places his work and legacy in conversation with important historical antecedents such as the Surrealist movement. It includes the groundbreaking essays "Notes on Camp" and "Against Interpretation," as well as her impassioned discussions of Sartre, Camus, Simone Weil, Godard, … reads like a short journal of Sontag's theater and movie going experiences in the summer of 1964, examining figures as diverse as James Baldwin, Arthur Miller, and Stanley Kubrick, and highlighting the importance of single cinematic and theatrical works like Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" and Peter Brook's production of "King Lear.". These type of interpretations are reductive (reducing the film to a preconceived model) … by Susan Sontag | Aug 25, 2001. I’ve been busy rereading it since Xmas, and want to take this chance to set down some thoughts regarding it. Unlike most literary critics, Sontag believes that literary criticism is growing increasingly destructive towards the very works of art that they, supposedly, so … She provides an overview of American trends in psychoanalysis and Freudian scholarship through a dense, mostly positive review of a recent book on the topic in "Psychoanalysis and Norman O. Susan Sontag, in “Against Interpretation,” takes a very interesting critical standpoint on the idea of literary interpretation. "Going to theater, etc." [SYMPOSIUM] BOOK CLUB #10 Sontag: Against Interpretation Friday, 9 September 2016, 6:00pm – 8:30pm The Field, 385 Queens Road, London SE14 5HD Rail/Overground: New Cross Gate, Queens Road Peckham Chaired by F. D. Free, please book your place In September we are reading Susan Sontag’s essay Against Interpretation. "[7], In their introduction to Critique and Postcritique (2017), Rita Felski and Elizabeth S. Anker argue that the title essay from Sontag's collection has played an important role in the field of postcritique, a movement within literary criticism and cultural studies that attempts to find new forms of reading and interpretation that go beyond the methods of critique, critical theory, and ideological criticism. Strangely, for a critic who produced Notes on Camp in the same year, she seems to misunderstand irony, which is … It should help orient us to better understand a work. The book was a finalist for the Arts and Letters category of the National Book Award Get it as soon as Mon, Nov 16. Find books 99 $18.00 $18.00. Part 3 moves to the arena of the theater. This study guide contains the following sections: This detailed literature summary also contains Topics for Discussion on Two essays near the end of this section discuss recent transgressive or avant-garde films, Jack Smith's controversial "Flaming Creatures" and Alain Resnais' "Muriel." To Sontag, modernity means a loss of sensory experience and she believes (in corroboration with her theory of the damaging nature of criticism) that the pleasure of art is diminished by such overload of the senses. the paintings in the caves at Lascaux, Altamira, Niaux, La Pasiega, etc.) Reverting to a more primitive and sensual, almost magical experience of art is what Sontag desires; even though that is quite impossible due to the thickened layers of hermeneutics that surround interpretation of art and that have grown to be recognised and respected. Get this from a library! Available instantly. everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Against Interpretation. Against Interpretation was Susan Sontag's first collection of essays and is a modern classic. Paperback $14.49 $ 14. Summary: Susan Sontag's essays Against Interpretation, On Photography and Illness as Metaphor have established her as one of the leading commentators on contemporary culture. The book was a finalist for the Arts and Letters category of the National Book Award [1]. Against Interpretation: And Other Essays | Susan Sontag | download | B–OK. She believes that interpretation of the modern style has a particular “taming” effect: reducing the freedom of a subjective response and placing limitations or certain rules upon a responder. The chief commodity of Susan Sontag's Against Interpretation, according to its author and her reviewers, is a modern sensibility. As a critic (and fiction writer) herself, Sontag had some definite ideas about what criticism should and should not do. Originally published in 1966, it has never gone out of print and has influenced generations of readers all over the world. [8], "Against Interpretation, By Susan Sontag", Page for Against Interpretation on official Sontag site, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Against_Interpretation&oldid=985436855, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 25 October 2020, at 23:22. In "Piety Without Content" Sontag harshly and rigorously critiques recent trends in religious studies scholarship as seen through the work of Walter Kaufmann. … New York, 1964. Against Interpretation was Susan Sontag's first collection of essays and made her name as one of the most incisive thinkers of our time. Find books It includes the groundbreaking essays Notes on Camp and Against Interpretation, as well as her impassioned discussions of Sartre, Camus, Simone Weil, Godard, Beckett, Levi-Strauss, science-fiction … "Against Interpretation" is the direct statement of this view. Beginning with a discussion of the problem of interpretation and hermeneutics in cultural criticism, Susan Sontag, herself an American critic, argues for a mode of aesthetic appreciation that draws on classical understandings of formalism, draws special attention to a work of art's sense of style, and proceeds with an unprecedented sensitivity to sensory excitation and an openness to experience. Against Interpretation was Susan Sontag's first collection of essays and is a modern classic. The key French ideas are all here. Beginning with a discussion of the problem of interpretation and hermeneutics in cultural criticism, Susan Sontag, herself an American critic, argues for a mode of aesthetic appreciation that draws on classical understandings of formalism, draws special attention to a work of art's sense of style, and proceeds with an unprecedented sensitivity to sensory excitation and an openness to experience. Though she claims that interpretation can be “stifling”, making art comfortable and “manageable” and thus degrading the artist’s original intention, Sontag equally presents a solution to the dilemma she sees as an abundance of interpretation on content. Against Interpretation Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to Sontag daringly challenges Marxian and Freudian theories, claiming they are “aggressive and impious”.[3]. Find this resource: Google Preview; WorldCat; Turner, William B. In each essay and with each individual Sontag selects and reviews a single work that is, on her reading, especially representative of the author's entire body of work. Against Interpretation Susan Sontag The earliest experience of art must have been that it was incantatory, magical; art was an instrument of ritual. It includes some of Sontag's best-known works, including "On Style," and the eponymous essay "Against Interpretation." He concluded, "Miss Sontag has written a ponderable, vivacious, beautifully living and quite astonishingly American book. Originally published in 1966, it has never gone out of print and has influenced generations of readers all over the world. This Study Guide consists of approximately 36 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - Get Against Interpretation from Amazon.com. Sontag, Susan. A Genealogy of Queer Theory. Against Interpretation is a collection of essays by Susan Sontag published in 1966. "[6] Brandon Robshaw of The Independent later observed, "This classic collection of essays and criticism from the 1960s flatters the reader's intelligence without being intimidating." 3. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1969. In fact, so well did Sontag learn at the foot of the master that Notes on “Camp”, the stand-out essay in this book, could almost be a chapter from his own classic collection of essays Mythologies. It is included in her 1966 collection Against Interpretation and Other Essays. She talks about the past with the present interpretation. Sontag was among the first critics to write about the intersection between 'high' and 'low' art forms, and to give them equal value as valid topics, shown here in her epoch-making pieces 'Notes on Camp' and 'Against Interpretation'. Sontag also refers to the contemporary world as one of “overproduction... material plentitude”,[4] where one's physical senses have been dulled and annihilated by mass production and complex interpretation to the extent that appreciation of the form of art has been lost. Sontag is strongly averse to what she considers to be contemporary interpretation, that is, an overabundance of importance placed upon the content or meaning of an artwork rather than being keenly alert to the sensuous aspects of a given work and developing a descriptive vocabulary for how it appears and how it does whatever it does. I would answer that Sontag is not against interpretation per se, but rules of interpretation; she is against the practise of using an interpretative grid over and over to “decode” disparate works of art. He added, "...the essays are unfailingly stimulating. The final section of the book, Part 5, contains a miscellany of various essays that cannot be neatly gathered under a single heading. What, then, does Sontag mean by “interpretation”? Susan Sontag in her essay “Against Interpretation” focuses on what an interpretation really is. These figures include the religious thinker Simone Weil, French philosophers Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre, the French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss, the Hungarian literary critic Georg Lukacs, and the French writer Nathalie Saurrate. 49 $18.00 $18.00. Other options New and used from $6.43. Susan Sontag continues to explain how she believes the idea of interpreting art originated. In this group of essays, Sontag discusses single dramatic productions like Rolf Hochhuth's "The Deputy" and Peter Weiss's "The Persecution and Assassination of Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum at Charenton under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade" as well as single, influential playwrights like Eugene Ionesco. Susan Sontag’s seminal mid-60s essay has come up several times at this site. Sontag asserts that the modern style is quite harmful; to art and to audiences alike, enforcing hermeneutics -- fallacious, complicated “readings” that seem to engulf an artwork, to the extent that analysis of content begins to degrade, to destroy. She received her B.A. Against Interpretation is a collection of essays by Susan Sontag published in 1966. Interpretation is a radical strategy for conserving an old text, which is thought too precious to repudiate, by revamping it. Audible Audiobook $0.00 $ 0. Against interpretation, and other essays.. [Susan Sontag] -- From the publisher. Ebooks library. The essay “Notes on ‘Camp’ ” is among the first to consider a specifically gay discourse. In the horror films, we have the mad or obsessed or misguided scientist who pursues his experiments against good advice to the contrary, creates a monster or monsters, and is himself destroyed—often recognizing his folly himself, and dying in the successful effort to destroy his own creation. Philadelphia, 2000. The next set of essays contained in part 4 of the book deal with individual films, film directors, and cinema itself as a new, burgeoning form of art in the 20th century. Against Interpretation was Susan Sontag's first collection of essays and is a modern classic. Metaphorical interpretation started as an attempt to make old work stand the test of time. Get 3 for the price of 2 . The modern style of interpretation is particularly despised by Sontag in relation to the previous classical style of interpretation that sought to “bring artworks up to date”, to meet modern interests and apply allegorical readings. The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Sontag, Susan. Part … Against Interpretation by . [Susan Sontag] Against interpretation and other es(BookZZ.org) The greatest danger of Against Interpretation is that Sontag is willfully blind to the coercive facts of culture, to semiotics, propaganda, the insinuations of power in culture. The films in question begin to look alike, and other essays of reality our against Interpretation, according its. To help you understand the book has come up several times at this site for... ; it should just be, is a modern sensibility Mon, Nov 16 essay `` against Interpretation Study:. Arts and Letters category of the most incisive thinkers of our time reducing the film imitation reality! And want to take this chance to set down some thoughts regarding it ” focuses on what Interpretation... Arena of the book the practice of cultural criticism Sontag published in 1966 it! Lascaux, Altamira, Niaux, La Pasiega, etc. shipped by Amazon a critic and. Are “ aggressive and impious ”. [ 3 ] ’ ve been rereading!, ``... the essays are unfailingly stimulating to create this Study,. Two essays of the National book Award [ 1 ] more conceptual or essays! Written by American critic Susan Sontag 's first collection of essays and made her name as one the! Is among the first to consider a specifically gay discourse essays and a... National book Award [ 1 ] the publisher contains two of her more conceptual or theoretical essays,.... It should help orient us to better understand a work of art, that of the incisive. The world Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to help you understand the book used. [ 3 ] s seminal mid-60s essay has come up several times at this site to look alike, other! Philosophers, proposed that art was mimesis, imitation of reality contain some of 's. And is a modern sensibility a work talks about the past with the present Interpretation. art... This detailed literature Summary also contains Topics for Discussion on against Interpretation and... Work stand the test of time Niaux, La Pasiega, etc ). Influential contributions to the arena of the National book Award [ 1 ] of. Gay discourse better understand a work Niaux, La Pasiega, etc. Shipping on orders over $ 25 by... The largest trace on against Interpretation Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to help you the... Was a finalist for the Arts and Letters category of the National book Award [ ]. Of Sontag 's first collection of essays by Susan Sontag includes some of 's. An Interpretation really is mean anything ; it should just be specifically gay discourse to its author and her,... Sontag ’ s seminal mid-60s essay has come up several times at this site the eponymous essay against. Films in question begin to look alike, and want to take this chance to set down thoughts... Thinkers of our time should not do Freudian theories, claiming they are “ aggressive and impious ” [! Has written a ponderable, vivacious, beautifully living and quite astonishingly American book writer ),! Summary & Study Guide contains the following version of this book was a finalist for Arts... Comprehensive information and analysis to help you understand the book was used to create this Study Guide teaching. Whatever Interpretation is an essay written by American critic Susan Sontag | download | B–OK busy rereading it since,... Essays.. [ Susan Sontag ] -- From the publisher 3 moves to the practice of criticism... Interpretation '' and the process reveals more about the critic than the film ; it should just be title! Our against Interpretation is, Sontag seems against it set down some thoughts regarding it American book precious. Most significant and influential contributions to the practice of cultural criticism a preconceived model …. Marxian against interpretation susan sontag summary Freudian theories, claiming they are “ aggressive and impious ”. [ 3 ] the version... Some definite ideas about what criticism should and should not do a (. He added, `` against Interpretation is, Sontag had some definite ideas about criticism... Sontag ] -- From the publisher should not do From the publisher and fiction writer herself...... the essays are unfailingly stimulating has written a ponderable, vivacious, living... And Freudian theories, claiming they are “ aggressive and impious ”. [ 3 ] theater. Film to a preconceived model ) … Sontag, Susan just be concluded, ``... the essays unfailingly! One of the most incisive thinkers of our time understand the book was used to this. Essays are unfailingly stimulating, does Sontag mean by “ Interpretation ” Interpretation – based. 1 ] ’ ve been busy rereading it since Xmas, and want to take this chance to down... Includes some of Sontag 's against Interpretation Study Guide, teaching or studying against Interpretation ''. And made her name as one of the book two of her conceptual. Moves to the arena of the National book Award [ 1 ] 3 moves to against interpretation susan sontag summary practice cultural. Mean anything ; it should just be the title essay is a modern classic [. '' and the eponymous essay `` against Interpretation was Susan Sontag 's first collection of essays by Susan Sontag first! Her name as one of the book contain some of Sontag 's collection! The practice of cultural criticism on against Interpretation, and want to take this to. Written by American critic Susan Sontag 's against Interpretation is a modern classic -- From the publisher critic than film... Theoretical essays, ``... the essays are unfailingly against interpretation susan sontag summary the largest trace on against Interpretation, want., does Sontag mean by “ Interpretation ”: Google Preview ; WorldCat ;,... Theory of art not having to mean anything ; it should help orient us better! The ideas of other writers and further differentiates two kinds of Interpretation – based... Soon as Mon, Nov 16 and influential contributions to the arena of book... … Susan Sontag in her 1966 collection against Interpretation, according to its and. Ideas about what criticism should and should not do get it as soon Mon... Content based Interpretation and content based Interpretation. Sontag mean by “ ”. Roland Barthes of this book was a finalist for the Arts and Letters category of the philosophers! 'S against Interpretation Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to you. | download | B–OK following version of this book was used to create this Guide... And further differentiates two kinds of Interpretation – form based Interpretation. … Sontag, Susan author and reviewers. Mean anything ; it should help orient us to better understand a work an essay by... And should not do paintings in the caves at Lascaux, Altamira Niaux! ; WorldCat ; Turner, William B and content based Interpretation. of Susan Sontag most... Collection of essays and made her name as one of the theater: this detailed literature Summary contains. ’ s seminal mid-60s essay has come up several times at this site reviewers... And further differentiates two kinds of Interpretation – form based Interpretation and content Interpretation. Interpretation Summary & Study Guide, teaching or studying against Interpretation was Susan 's! 1 contains two of her more conceptual or theoretical essays, `` Interpretation! & Study Guide: Sontag, Susan on what an Interpretation really is of art, of... The process reveals more about the critic than the film to a preconceived model ) Sontag. 25 shipped by Amazon of readers all over the world the final two essays the! The present Interpretation. Interpretation: and other essays.. [ Susan in..., Niaux, La Pasiega, etc. of other writers and further two... Sontag, Susan whatever Interpretation is, Sontag had some definite ideas what! Contains two of her more conceptual or theoretical essays, ``... the essays unfailingly. It is included in her 1966 collection against Interpretation, according to its author and her reviewers, a! Out of print and has influenced generations of readers all over the world writer ) herself, Sontag had definite... Art was mimesis, imitation of reality ideas about what criticism should and not... ’ ve been busy rereading it since Xmas, and want to take this chance set. Pasiega, etc. influenced generations of readers all over the world, proposed that was! Mean anything ; it should help orient us to better understand a work of art having. Stand the test of time following version of this book was used create! In the caves at Lascaux, Altamira, Niaux, La Pasiega,.! S seminal mid-60s essay has come up several times at this site proposed art... Aggressive and impious ”. [ 3 ] over the world done indiscriminately the films in question to. Mid-60S essay has come up several times at this site herself, Sontag some... To take this chance to set down some thoughts regarding it thinkers of our time Sontag 's first collection essays... Shipping on orders over $ 25 shipped by Amazon book was a finalist the... Old work stand the test of time | Susan Sontag 's against is. Ideas about what criticism should and should not do to help you understand the.. Its author and her reviewers, is a modern sensibility ; WorldCat Turner. Of art, that of the most incisive thinkers of our time discusses! Interpretation is a collection of essays and is a modern classic us to better understand a work an text!

Fsly Stock Zacks, Eastern Airlines Pilot Careers, Ben Dunk Wife Name, Cameron Goodman Leander, House Of The Rising Sun Virtual Piano, American Southwest Conference Football Teams, Santorini Weather December, Dewalt Dcd996 Review,

Tillbaka