Regarding the Pain of Others [Hardcover]

Susan Sontag (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 19, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0374248583 | ISBN-13: 978-0374248581 | Edition: First Edition

A brilliant, clear-eyed new consideration of the visual representation of violence in our culture--its ubiquity, meanings, and effects

Watching the evening news offers constant evidence of atrocity--a daily commonplace in our "society of spectacle." But are viewers inured -or incited--to violence by the daily depiction of cruelty and horror? Is the viewer's perception of reality eroded by the universal availability of imagery intended to shock?

In her first full-scale investigation of the role of imagery in our culture since her now-classic book On Photography defined the terms of the debate twenty-five years ago, Susan Sontag cuts through circular arguments about how pictures can inspire dissent or foster violence as she takes a fresh look at the representation of atrocity--from Goya's The Disasters of War to photographs of the American Civil War, lynchings of blacks in the South, and Dachau and Auschwitz to contemporary horrific images of Bosnia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, and New York City on September 11, 2001.

As John Berger wrote when On Photography was first published, "All future discussions or analysis of the role of photography in the affluent mass-media societies is now bound to begin with her book." Sontag's new book, a startling reappraisal of the intersection of "information", "news," "art," and politics in the contemporary depiction of war and disaster, will be equally essential. It will forever alter our thinking about the uses and meanings of images in our world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Twenty-six years after the publication of her influential collection of essays On Photography (1977), Sontag (In America) reconsiders ideas that are "now fast approaching the status of platitudes," especially the view that our capacity to respond to images of war and atrocity is being dulled by "the relentless diffusion of vulgar and appalling images" in our rapaciously media-driven culture. Sontag opens by describing Virginia Woolf's essay on the roots of war, "Three Guineas," in which Woolf described a set of gruesome photographs of mutilated bodies and buildings destroyed during the Spanish Civil War. Woolf wondered if there truly can be a "we" between man and woman in matters of war. Sontag sets out to reopen and enlarge the question. "No `we' should be taken for granted when the subject is looking at other people's pain," she writes. The "we" that Sontag has come to be much more aware of in the decades since On Photography is the world of the rich. She has come to doubt her youthful contention that repeated exposure to images of suffering necessarily shrivels sympathy, and she doubts even more the radical yet influential spin that others put on this critique-that reality itself has become a spectacle. "To speak of reality becoming a spectacle... universalizes the viewing habits of a small, educated population living in the rich part of the world...." Sontag reminds us that sincerity can turn a mere spectator into a witness, and that it is the heart rather than fancy rhetoric that can lead the mind to understanding.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The impact of violent images: Sontag's first full-length work on imagery since her acclaimed On Photography 25 years ago.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; First Edition edition (February 19, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374248583
• ISBN-13: 978-0374248581
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #430,361 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan Sontag was born in Manhattan in 1933 and studied at the universities of Chicago, Harvard and Oxford. She is the author of four novels, a collection of stories, several plays, and six books of essays, among them Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and Its Metaphors. Her books are translated into thirty-two languages. In 2001 she was awarded the Jerusalem Prize for the body of her work, and in 2003 she received the Prince of Asturias Prize for Literature and the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. She died in December 2004.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and Timely, April 27, 2003

By 

Arthur J. Boughan (Queidersbach, Germany) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Regarding the Pain of Others (Hardcover)

I couldnt help but wonder what Susan Sontag would have to say about a friend of mine, and the manner in which he gets his daily news. First thing, each day, when he gets to work, he logs into his computer, surfs to Yahoo, and looks at a slide show of all the top news photos for the day. He never reads any articles. At most he reads a caption or two, but mainly he looks at the pictures. How many others perceive the world through Yahoo slideshows? Its a bit scary. I think Sontag would agree that many people view the world primarily through the images they receive through the media.

In her revealing book, Regarding The Pain of Others, Susan Sontag examines the many issues associated with the photography of warfare, genocide, and atrocity. She discusses the history of such images, why they are produced, the importance of the viewers perspective, censorship, and many other related topics. In presenting her ideas, Sontag moves through a wide variety of history and literature ( Platos Republic, the Crimean War, the Khmer Rouge, the Nazi concentration camps, Bosnia). Oddly enough, there are no photos in the book. Many photographs that are referred to are described enough to understand what is being said, but the actual photos would have been a much better addition. (Most of the photos referenced are well known and can easily be located online.) It would have been revealing to know why no photos were included.

Many insights regarding war and photography are put forth. Some seemed like just well explained common sense, others were revealing. As a photographer, one concept that was mentioned, I found very profound. Ive often wondered why photography hasnt been replaced by video in the manner in which photography displaced painting. Although video certainly dominates the entertainment industry, photos havent disappeared and they continue to thrive. Sontag asserts that a photograph is the basic visual unit of memory. We remember in terms of photos much easier that entire video sequences. Certain events in our life, for example, the Apollo 11 moon landing, are recalled through the photographs we saw of those events. Although you will probably want a video of your wedding, it is certain there will be photos. For that reason, there will always be a place for photographs. In fact, you might have noticed during the recent coverage of the war in Iraq, many of the television news channels would play sequences of still photos. That is how we remember visually, in still images.

My only complaint is the books size, 126 pages, seemed small compared to the cost. Also the font and spacing are a bit large (remember that trick when writing school papers?). I had the feeling that some greedy marketing person was in the loop somewhere. Once I began to read though, my disappointment with books size went away. I recommend this thoughtful work and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An easy to avoid topic that we should all look at, December 28, 2004

By 

D. Sean West (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Regarding the Pain of Others (Paperback)

Susan Sontag seems to be a lightening rod for the political sensitive, rare is the person who has lukewarm feelings about Sontag- people seem to even love her or hate her. Not sure if I am ready to confess my love for her yet but I am defiantly far closer to the love side than the hate side.

Regarding the Pain of Others was my first encounter with her. In truth, I only bought it because I happened upon while browsing thought the bookstore and was struck by its great cover design and bought it knowing little more about it than that. Despite my incredibly poor rational for buying the book (judging it by its cover!) I lucked out immensely with this one!

There are few topics more important or relevant in these times than war and our (the west's) perception of war. Sontag takes an unblinking look at these topics of pain, suffering and there representations in photography and comes away with remarkable insight to share. While occasionally going into enough detail to make me squirm in my seat it is important to stress that this book is enjoyable- it is written well and although meandering at times it is always easy to follow and organized.

Even if you disagree with some of the conclusions that Sontag reaches in this book you will still benefit from the ways that it forces you to crystallize your own views. Above all else thought these topics are so incredibly important that they deserve attention from all of us- if you don't read this book read something else on the topic!

46 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timely and Powerful, April 1, 2003

By 

Professor Presto "Noted personage" (Baku) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Regarding the Pain of Others (Hardcover)

As I watch the constant war show on CNN, am I a spectator experiencing war vicariously as entertainment, and if so, should I not be watching? On the other hand, if I choose not to watch am I hiding from reality and turning my back on the soldiers who after all represent me?

If you experience any kind of discomfort with the constant coverage, then Sontag can offer some guidance.

She concentrates mainly on photographs rather than video, but this enables her to draw comparisons between the present and past conflicts. Her elegant potted history of war photography from the Crimean war to today is in some ways a rebuttal to the notion that the ubiquity of media renders modern war substantially different to historical war. If video footage defines our experience of war, photographs become our memories, and this is no less true now than in the 1860's.

If this sounds dry, then I do the book an injustice. First of all, Sontag is able to maintain page-turning readability without sacrificing scholarship. Second, even the most careful reading won't take more than 3 hours. Third, her arguments are forceful and in some cases passionate.

I found "regarding the pain of others" erudite, persuasive and strangely moving.