Have study documents to share about on photography. Susan sontag, in against interpretation, takes a very interesting critical standpoint on the idea of literary interpretation. Humankind lingers unregenerately in plato s cave, still reveling, its ageold habit, in mere images of the truth. Ebook or pdf edited book email encyclopedia article govt. Susan sontag explains photography in comparison with platos cave where reality is limited to only what is inside the cave where shadows of the outside world. Unlike most literary critics, sontag believes that literary criticism is growing increasingly destructive towards the very works of art that they, supposedly, so greatly appreciate and respect. Artists use them as an art form to express and interpret their reality. In on photography, susan sontag discusses what she believes photography does to society in the modern day. But being educated by photographs is not like being educated by older, more artisanal images.
Anyone interested in the social roles of photography will find this book fascinating and thoughtprovoking. I want to write an essay where the date year its written isnt. She has studied at berkeley, harvard, ox ford, and the sorbonne and considers. In platos cave responding to sontag, essay get sample. The observations she concludes warns her readers to be careful in how they view or interpret images.
Download file to see previous pages susan sontag s famous critique of photography entitled in platos cave starts with an analogy drawn from ancient greek philosophy. The earliest theory of art, that of the greek philosophers, proposed that art was mimesis, imitation of reality. Platos cave by susan sontag summary by sarina horn medium. One of sontag s main observations about photography is that photographs are like the shadows inside the ancient greek philosopher plato s metaphorical cave. It defines and presages the thinking that underlies the whole book. Susan sontag tells us in platos cave that photography makes us feel that the world is more available than it really is. Susan sontag uses the metaphor of platos cave to describe the role of photography in contemporary life that we learn a lot from photography over the years and the process of taking photos has greatly grown over time. It begins with the famous in plato s cave essay, then offers five other prose meditations on this topic, and. Attention to susan sontags misreading of ludwig feuerbachs essence of. It begins with the famous in plato s cave essay, then offers five other. All future discussion or analysis of the role of photography in the affluent massmedia societies is now bound to begin her book. On photography is a 1977 collection of essays by susan sontag.
Sontag here develops further the concept of transparency. Susan sontag on photography in platos cave mind benders. For one thing, there are a great many more images around, claiming our attention. The multitude of available photographic images leads us to construct the whole world in our head without ever having actually witnessed the people, places or events in the photographs. In her essay, in platos cave, published in 1977, susan sontag reflects on photography and looks at the meaning behind taking a photograph. It begins with the famous in platos cave essay, then offers five other prose meditations on this topic, and concludes with a fascinating and farreaching brief anthology of quotations. In plato s cave humankind lingers unregenerately in plato s cave, still reveling, its ageold habit, in mere images of the truth.
Susan sontag was an incandescent presence in american culture, whether as essayist, fiction writer, filmmaker, or political activist. Analysis of in platos cave by susan sontag 1172 words cram. Humankind lingers unregenerately in plato s cave, still reveling, its age. Throughout her essay, sontag makes important observations based on the broad world of photography. Plato a student of socrates suggested the story of a cave in which youths had been imprisoned from an early age and restrained so as to only see images produced in the fashion of shadow theatre, with no exposure to the real objects that cast them. In plato s cave, uses plato s notion that human beings see. Susan sontag 16 january 1933 28 december 2004 was an. Sontag was interested in platos idea of chora or khora which suggests a receptacle, a space, a material substratum, or an interval. Sontag s background in philosophy is evident in this argument, as she uses the philosophical definition of understanding a thing and brings plato into the equation. More than a commentator on her era, she helped shape it.
It is a set of essays on the philosophy of picturetaking and the meaning of photography in the modern ca. People take photographs to socialize by capturing their truths, remembering the past, and influencing the future. In platos cave by susan sontag from on photography, 1977. Arranged and edited in this manner this chapter is meant to serve as the introduction to sontag s collection of ideas on the sociological implications of the medium of photography. As everything she wrote, susan sontag s book on photography is brilliant. In platos cave by susan sontag by megan leigh first off, i think the title of susan sontag s chapter is interesting take on the relationship between the story or message of platos cave and photography, given what i remember about the story. Like but the very question of whether photography is or is not an art. Of course, this modern day was the 1970s, but many of the key elements described in the collection of essays still remain relevant.
A human rights activist for more than two decades, ms. From sontag s perspective, photos are neither reliable narrators nor trustworthy documentations of specific places and times. Jun 04, 2016 susan sontag s on photography, in platos cave summary. Susan sontag art history bibliographies cite this for me. She mostly wrote essays, but also published novels. Jul 11, 2018 for sontag, the readings include notes on camp 1964, against interpretation 1966, and in platos cave 1977, the last of which is the subject of this installment of course notes. Sontag draws an analogy between our viewing of photographs and the prisoners in plato s cave. Jul 27, 2008 by david monniaux to photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed. Susan sontag from the book on photography, in plato s cave mind benders. Photographs alter and enlarge our notions of what is worth looking at we think about what would make a worthy photograph and what catches our eye. Photography, she writes, implies that we know about the world if we accept it as the camera records it. Thus, its through these billions of photos that we learn and expand our horizon in terms of viewing the world.
Rr4susan sontag and platos cave comd advanced photography. Susan sontag was born in new york city on january 16, 1933. Course notes susan sontag, in platos cave, from on. Susan sontag in platos cave on photography january 14, 20 by katyflanaganphotography in creative digital practice, creative digital practice assignment 1, uncategorized. The inventory started in 1839 and since then just about. Susan sontag lived from 1933 2004 an american essayist, short story writer, novelist, screenwriter.
In plato s cave america, seen through photographs, darkly melancholy objects the heroism of vision photographic evangels the imageworld a brief anthology of quotations. The opening essay, in plato s cave, starts by exploring what images are and how they relate to the concept of reality. The point of the metaphor of the cave is that people sit inside the cave and watch shadows being reflected against a wall, and are transfixed by these moving images. Jan 14, 20 susan sontag in platos cave on photography january 14, 20 by katyflanaganphotography in creative digital practice, creative digital practice assignment 1, uncategorized. Susan sontag starts her book on photography with a reference to plato s cave, a dark prison only a few escape. Susan sontag in plato s cave free essays studymode. Platos allegory of the cave platos allegory of the cave is philosophy that is a notable contribution to the existence of philosophy overall because of the nature of forms, and the difficulty associated with necessarily rendering them to be sensory perception understood only by humans, plato takes on a possibly very daunting philosophical task in being able to assign or attach some.
In on photography, susan sontag discusses what she believes photography does to. On photography began with a single essay in which susan sontag wanted to explore some of the problems, both aesthetic and moral. Winner of the national book critics circle award for criticism. In platos cave photographs have various uses in the modern world. Discussions download a pdf to print or study offline.
In order to answer this question, the author rereads the historical uses of photography, from the police files of the last third of the 19th century to. She has studied at berkeley, harvard, ox ford, and the sorbonne and considers herself a writer without specialization. Learn how to start an essay from clear practical and why did susan sontag name her essay in platos cave theoretical advice that will help you overcome problems connected with understanding its principles. As a critic, she became the most provocative and influential voice of her time. One of the most highly regarded books of its kind, on photography first appeared in 1977 and is described by its author as a progress of essays about the meaning and career of photographs. Susan sontag on photography winner of the national book critics circle award for criticism 1977 susan sontag has a book of great importance and originalfty. Our primary guide to bibliographic style was the chicago manual of style, 14th. January 16, 1933 december 28, 2004 was an american writer, filmmaker, philosopher, teacher, and political activist. In platos cave is the first essay in the book on photography by susan sontag.
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