Reading Susan Sontag
A Critical Introduction to Her Work
Ivan R. Dee · Print & ebook · September 18, 2001
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- Who it’s for
- A chapter-by-chapter guide connects Sontag’s books with her film and theatre work.
- Themes
- Critical introduction to Sontag's work, Sontag's fiction and essays, Sontag's art and aesthetic views
- Genres
- Women Authors Criticism, 20th-Century Literary Criticism, American Lit Crit
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Start with this bookAbout this book
Reading Susan Sontag is the first book to survey the broad range of Ms. Sontag's work, including full discussions of her fiction. Carl Rollyson, Ms. Sontag's first biographer, is uniquely situated to provide well-informed and clear readings of all her major work. He writes for general readers and students as well as for specialists.
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Each of his chapters is devoted to one of Ms. Sontag's books and is divided into three sections: synopsis, Ms. Sontag's own views of her work, and critical commentary, and thus progresses from basic knowledge to more sophisticated interpretation. In a detailed chronological overview of her work, Mr. Rollyson also describes and comments on Ms. Sontag's forays into film and theatre, showing how her interests in dance and opera, for example, are connected to her aesthetic view of the world. A helpful glossary at the end of the book defines the terms and figures of speech that characterize her essays and may inhibit readers who do not share her formidable command of world culture; it also traces her use of allusions to other writers from one essay to the next. In all, Reading Susan Sontag is an enormously useful companion to the work of one of our major writers.
Sontag’s Books and Arts
A chapter-by-chapter guide connects Sontag’s books with her film and theatre work.
Come here for
- Chapter discussions move from synopsis to Sontag’s views and critical commentary
- A chronological overview of her film and theatre forays
Expect
- A glossary defines terms and traces allusions across her essays
Where it sits
| 20th-Century Literary Criticism | 65% |
|---|---|
| Women Authors Criticism | 55% |
| American Lit Crit | 35% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Literary Criticism
- American Lit Crit
- Hispanic American Lit Crit
- Women Authors Criticism
- Authors
- Carl Rollyson
- Publisher
- Ivan R. Dee
- Published
- September 18, 2001
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Critical introduction to Sontag's work · Sontag's fiction and essays · Sontag's art and aesthetic views
- Reading lane
- Literary Criticism