by Susan Sontag
First published 2000
Renowned critic Susan Sontag dissects how the spectacle of human suffering, captured in photographs, impacts our culture. From Goya's etchings to modern conflict zones, she examines the power and peril of bearing witness to atrocity. As the media barrages us with images of violence, Sontag questions whether such depictions numb us or compel us to action. Her incisive analysis lays bare the complex emotions and ethical quandaries that arise when we confront the pain of others.
Genres: 20th-century, non-fiction, criticism, 21st-century, art-history, academic
Vibes: dark, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: social-commentary
Setting: Goya
Period: Conflict Zones, Modern
131 pages · Hardcover · Farrar Straus & Giroux
Content warnings: graphic-violence