This is such a smart read! I've always found Sontag fascinating, especially the way she makes you think. It got me wondering, how do you see her 'Against Interpretation' - focusing on what we sense - fiting with 'Notes On Camp', which seems to rely on a very specific kind of ironic understanding?
My take: "Against Interpretation" as a warning against overthinking at the expense of experiencing the works' sensual characteristics. "Notes On Camp" describes a particular sensibility evoked by the works' style + content. Grokking camp calls for a level of understanding that goes deeper than the works' purely sensual characteristics. There might be a bit of tension there, but it's not *solely* an intellectual exercise.
This is such a smart read! I've always found Sontag fascinating, especially the way she makes you think. It got me wondering, how do you see her 'Against Interpretation' - focusing on what we sense - fiting with 'Notes On Camp', which seems to rely on a very specific kind of ironic understanding?
My take: "Against Interpretation" as a warning against overthinking at the expense of experiencing the works' sensual characteristics. "Notes On Camp" describes a particular sensibility evoked by the works' style + content. Grokking camp calls for a level of understanding that goes deeper than the works' purely sensual characteristics. There might be a bit of tension there, but it's not *solely* an intellectual exercise.