PENGUIN Regarding the Pain of Others
Product ID: 265985463
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Regarding the Pain of Others is Susan Sontag's searing analysis of our numbed response to images of horror. 'A coruscating sermon on how we picture suffering' The New York Times What is the purpose of images of pain and suffering? Can there be any real justification for the creation, and consumption, of such images? In this seminal volume, Susan Sontag examines the uses and meanings of images, from inspiring dissent to fostering violence to creating apathy. And through this lens she considers the nature of war, the limits of sympathy, and the obligations of conscience. 'A far-reaching set of ruminations [...] on what it means to be alive and alert in the twenty-first century' Independent 'Sontag is on top form: devastating' Los Angeles Times 'Simple, elegant, fiercely persuasive' Metro Review: How to read visual reporting - Loved this book. Susan Sontag was a pioneer in the field of telling us how the camera can at the scene of war be biased. Now flooded as we are with breaking news and social media in general we don't often think that the pictures/ film being captured on camera is the view of the camera operator rather than question the images. When we do it is often framed as 'fake news' . The events of the early 60's/70's captured on camera in Sontag's book tell us more than just the reporting of the events but a narrative that is often more about the moment itself . Sontag tells us how to look again and question everything even the truth. Review: Amazing book - Great book, came in perfect condition!
| Best Sellers Rank | #35,850 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #47 in Violence in Society #108 in Anthropology #671 in Sociology Reference |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 507 Reviews |
S**I
How to read visual reporting
Loved this book. Susan Sontag was a pioneer in the field of telling us how the camera can at the scene of war be biased. Now flooded as we are with breaking news and social media in general we don't often think that the pictures/ film being captured on camera is the view of the camera operator rather than question the images. When we do it is often framed as 'fake news' . The events of the early 60's/70's captured on camera in Sontag's book tell us more than just the reporting of the events but a narrative that is often more about the moment itself . Sontag tells us how to look again and question everything even the truth.
J**N
Amazing book
Great book, came in perfect condition!
H**A
Must buy
What a book
N**O
Titolo assolutamente imperdibile
Questo scritto della Sontag è uno di quelli che definirei essenziale per chiunque si interessi di fotografia sociale o anche semplicemente dell'uso delle immagini. Porta a riflessioni profonde sulla società contemporanea e sulla relazione del singolo o della massa con le immagini. Mi sono trovato ad acquistarlo in inglese dato che in Italia il libro è praticamente introvabile causa cessata pubblicazione da parte dell'editore purtroppo, risulta comunque facilmente leggibile pur la Sontag, in quanto filosofa, utilizzi a volte termini poco comuni, ma con l'aiuto di un dizionario si affronta tranquillamente!
J**W
Effortless and penetrating
In this essay, Sontag weaves together complex philosophical arguments into an accessible, exhilarating and deeply touching read. Sontag's prose masterfully dances around the question of how pictures of atrocities have been used historically and can be politically employed today, how viewers' ethical standpoint has changed over the years: sketching how the experience of 'regarding the pain of others' has evolved over the centuries until today. Even though Sontag makes a plurality of well-taken arguments, her essay necessarily lacks extensive inquiries into the historical, cultural and political contexts to which varied pictures have responded to and have fallen into. Since variation in those contexts changes the audience's interpretation of depicted atrocities, her essay can be taken as a call for more research in this direction.
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