A succinct and powerful examination of the affects of witnessing suffering, from one of the twentieth century's greatest thinkers
Features an analysis of our numbed response to images of horror. This title alters our thinking about the uses and meanings of images, and about the nature of war, the limits of sympathy, and the obligations of conscience.
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Summary
A succinct and powerful examination of the affects of witnessing suffering, from one of the twentieth century's greatest thinkers
Features an analysis of our numbed response to images of horror. This title alters our thinking about the uses and meanings of images, and about the nature of war, the limits of sympathy, and the obligations of conscience.
Description
A succinct and powerful examination of the affects of witnessing suffering, from one of the twentieth century's greatest thinkersFrom Goya's Disasters of War to news footage and photographs of the conflicts in Vietnam, Rwanda and Bosnia, pictures have been charged with inspiring dissent, fostering violence or instilling apathy in us, the viewer. Regarding the Pain of Others will alter our thinking not only about the uses and meanings of images, but about the nature of war, the limits of sympathy, and the obligations of conscience.
Critic Reviews
"Wise and somber. . .Sontag's closing words acknowledge that there are realities which no picture can convey." --"Los Angeles Times Book Review"
"The history of sensibility in a culture shaped by the mechanical reproduction of imagery....has always been one of the guiding preoccupations of her best work, from "Against Interpretation" to "The Volcano Lover."...Regarding the Pain of Others invites, and rewards, more than one reading." --"Newsday"
"For 30 years, Susan Sontag has been challenging an entire generation to think about the things that frighten us most: war, disease, death. Her books illuminate without simplifying, complicate without obfuscating, and insist above all that to ignore what threatens us is both irresponsible and dangerous." --"O, The Oprah Magazine"
"A timely meditation on politics and ethics. . .extraordinary . . .Sontag's insight and erudition are profound." --"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution"
""Regarding the Pain of Others" bristles with a sense
About the Author
Susan Sontag was born in Manhattan in 1933 and studied at the universities of Chicago, Harvard and Oxford. Her non-fiction works include On Photography, Regarding the Pain of Others and At the Same Time. She was also the author of four novels, including The Volcano Lover and In America, as well as a collection of stories and several plays. She was awarded the Jerusalem Prize, and received the Prince of Asturias Prize for Literature and the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. She died in December 2004.
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