The Scandal of Susan Sontag

The Scandal of Susan Sontag
Format
Hardback
Publisher
Columbia University Press
Country
United States
Published
24 November 2009
Pages
280
ISBN
9780231149167

The Scandal of Susan Sontag

Susan Sontag (1933-2004) spoke of the promiscuity of art and literature–the willingness of great artists and writers to scandalize their spectators through critical frankness, complexity, and beauty. Sontag’s life and thought were no less promiscuous. She wrote deeply and engagingly about a range of subjects–theater, sex, politics, novels, torture, and illness–and courted celebrity and controversy both publicly and privately. Throughout her career, she not only earned adulation but also provoked scorn. Her living was the embodiment of scandal. In this collection, Terry Castle, Nancy K. Miller, Wayne Koestenbaum, E. Ann Kaplan, and other leading scholars revisit Sontag’s groundbreaking life and work. Against Interpretation, Notes on Camp,
Letter from Hanoi, On Photography, Illness as Metaphor, I, Etcetera, and The Volcano Lover–these works form the center of essays no less passionate and imaginative than Sontag herself. Debating questions raised by the thinker’s own images and identities, including her sexuality, these works question Sontag’s status as a female intellectual and her parallel interest in ambitious and prophetic fictional women; her ambivalence toward popular culture; and her personal and professional scandals. Paired with rare photographs and illustrations, this timely anthology expands our understanding of Sontag’s images and power.

This item is not currently in-stock. It can be ordered online and is expected to ship in approx 2 weeks

Our stock data is updated periodically, and availability may change throughout the day for in-demand items. Please call the relevant shop for the most current stock information. Prices are subject to change without notice.

Sign in or become a Readings Member to add this title to a wishlist.