This book is not available to purchase on Fable
4.0
Against Interpretation and Other Essays
ByPublisher Description
Against InterpretationAgainst Interpretation was Susan Sontag's first collection of essays and is a modern classic. Originally published in 1966, it has never gone out of print and has influenced generations of readers all over the world. It includes the famous essays "Notes on Camp" and "Against Interpretation," as well as her impassioned discussions of Sartre, Camus, Simone Weil, Godard, Beckett, Lévi-Strauss, science-fiction movies, psychoanalysis, and contemporary religious thought.
This edition has a new afterword, "Thirty Years Later," in which Sontag restates the terms of her battle against philistinism and against ethical shallowness and indifference.
This edition has a new afterword, "Thirty Years Later," in which Sontag restates the terms of her battle against philistinism and against ethical shallowness and indifference.
Download the free Fable app
Stay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
Rate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
Curate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesStay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building toolRate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tagsCurate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesAgainst Interpretation and Other Essays Reviews
4.0
“esto ha engordado el diámetro de mi cerebro.”
“I only read 'Against Interpretation' and I read it for a book club discussion. The book club is contrasting this and [b:How Should One Read a Book?|16124612|How Should One Read a Book?|Virginia Woolf|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1722579606l/16124612._SX50_.jpg|21763638], so I am curious. Independently, I found this essay quite obnoxious.
The central premise is a rejection of the interpretation of art. This is presented in a moralising “Because it’s wrong” way except pretending to be rational and serious by name-dropping liberally as well as drowning in jargon. The prose was extremely dense and difficult to get through without doing what the author is wagging her finger telling us not to do - ask “But what does this mean?”
And what is the point of a jumble of big words about not trying to make sense of them? Some research leads me to believe that this was written as a passionate outcry against the gatekeeping of artistic criticism by rich, white men and that a generous reading would suggest that the author was trying to match their style or risk being dismissed before being read. Maybe.
I’ll wait till after the book club discussion to see if I change my mind but for now, I have no desire to read another word by this author.”Start a Book Club
Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!FAQ
Why can’t I buy this ebook on Fable?
Can I start a book club with this book on Fable?
Are book clubs free to join on Fable?
