Hi Everyone
This week we look at the work of Susan Sontag, the partner of Annie Leibovitz, but a strong writer on media and ethics of the 20th century. Her introduction of sociology into discussions of art and creativity are a wake up call for all creators. Sometimes the impression is that she is too critical, but she is really arguing for a bigger perspective, not against photography or visual art.
Best
Fiore
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ryoh3uc79frezkr/Sontag%20I%20Photography.pdf?dl=0 (Links to an external site.)
Comprehension and Vocabulary Questions
According to Sontag, what has happened to photography?
What does it mean when Sontag calls photography a “social rite”?
What is the earliest use of photography? How long ago do you think this is?
What does Sontag mean by “parental indifference”?
How did photography help people to feel less worried about the changes in family size?
What does Sontag mean when she writes that photograph developed “in tandem with” another historical development, the increase in tourism?
Exactly what psychological function does photography have for tourists?
Do you agree with Sontag’s explanation for why photography is prevalent in the US and Japan?
How does photography compensate for a feeling of lack of participation in social groups?
Think of a negative effect of photography mentioned by Sontag and respond with a positive concept.
Think of a criticism of photography made by Sontag that interests you or that you agree with 100%
Thinking Questions for our Discussion
Do you agree with Sontag’s claim in her first paragraph, that the popularity of photography is a problem and that, by implication, it loses its status as art? So, if another art form, like oil painting, became very popular, would it be endangered as an art form?
Do you agree that photography serves a social function that is broader and more significant than merely recording memories?
Is Sontag too negative about the social functions of photography?
Vocabulary (know these words!)
rite
memorialize
household
chronicle
cherish
nuclear family
token presence
in tandem with
indisputable evidence
dependence
photogenic
assuage
a device for
stunned
peremptory
outlast
nonintervention
perpetual movement
complementary image
confined
immobilized
incompatible with
voyeurism
complicity with
misfortune
