it’s crazy how significantly more engaging her journals became after she decided to leave her lame husband (sorry). after reading sontag i always feelit’s crazy how significantly more engaging her journals became after she decided to leave her lame husband (sorry). after reading sontag i always feel (1) ashamed of my incompetence and stupidity and (2) incredibly inspired (partly to overcome my inadequacy). i <3 susan sontag !!!!! so so much. her mind is a gift (and so is her heart!)....more
4.5☆ i hate how much i enjoyed this and by “this” i mean voyeurism.. i say this every time i read posthumous works but i have very complicated feeling4.5☆ i hate how much i enjoyed this and by “this” i mean voyeurism.. i say this every time i read posthumous works but i have very complicated feelings towards the issue and i’d rather not think ab it too much. moving on! sontag’s journals were very confusing at times - her thoughts are dispersed and fragmented (sometimes she was just saying things (real)), but im glad it was that way! it helped preserve authenticity and create a sense of intimacy. obviously i’m not smart enough to understand all of it (and i lacked the knowledge to do so), but this was still intensively inspiring although it was deeply intimidating. sontag’s journals read like a collection of deeply personal, self analytic comments as well as broader displays of intellect. i’m fascinated by how philosophers write about their own lives — sontag’s mind specifically is just so incredible, she’s so brilliant (unsurprisingly) and i can’t wait to read more of her. through this i learned a lot about her process; how a mind of that calibre works and thinks, the intellectual labor that goes into producing texts that have a lasting cultural impact. she seemed to always be hypothesizing, analyzing, theorizing, conceptualizing, making her journals deeply intellectual, although my favorite passages were those that showed her sentimentality. AND i want someone to psychoanalyze me the way susan did w her hoes.
side note she had weird things to say ab asian countries…...more
10/23– merci ovidie de me remettre sur le droit chemin (le célibat) 7/23– 4.5 ☆ le titre !!!! c’est ce qui m’a fait l’acheter. après, la plume .. wow !10/23– merci ovidie de me remettre sur le droit chemin (le célibat) 7/23– 4.5 ☆ le titre !!!! c’est ce qui m’a fait l’acheter. après, la plume .. wow !! j’ai adoré. confrontante, directe, fluide - son discours est super bien exprimé. je compte lire plus de ce qu’ovidie écrit. puis bien sûr j’ai vraiment aimé le sujet, parce que, oui, je suis prévisible et qu’une femme en colère, féministe, qui écrit sur son vécu, j’aime automatiquement. par contre, parenthèse; c’est un texte assez radical, donc vraiment pas pour tout le monde (mais pour moi, oui!!!!). beaucoup de ses propos, surtout sur la nature transactionnelle des relations, m’ont fait penser à la citation de catharine mackinnon, “as many work and few gain... some fuck and others get fucked”. bref, court texte pour les fans de nelly arcan et virginie despentes et pour celles qui recherchent une version plus en colère des propos de bell hooks sur l’hétérosexualité compulsive. certainement pas pour ceux qui sont sensibles au radical par contre....more
fascinating!!! short but dense, in a good way. the focus on photography gave a clear direction to the book & made it unlike any other non-fiction ive fascinating!!! short but dense, in a good way. the focus on photography gave a clear direction to the book & made it unlike any other non-fiction ive read before. thought this was super interesting, loved it a lot. will def be reading more of susan sontag’s works. (plus we share a birthday #twin)
side note — great read esp after having read the art of cruelty by maggie nelson. + a lot of interesting links to be made with works of fiction that examine suffering. i know i thought a lot of “au revoir là-haut” and how its exploration of the consequences of ww1 related to sontag’s commentary. all these works are amazing — all different approaches to violence but they compliment each other really well, be it through fiction or critique. highly recommend all of these ☆...more
4.5☆ - as always maggie DEVOURED . the ballad of sexual optimism was my favorite - it was so incredibly fascinating and challenged some of my beliefs,4.5☆ - as always maggie DEVOURED . the ballad of sexual optimism was my favorite - it was so incredibly fascinating and challenged some of my beliefs, which was such an interesting (albeit difficult & uncomfortable) exercise.. my mind expands! i love maggie nelson’s work so much, she always delivers, and she’s unbelievably brilliant. non fiction, poetry, or prose, im enamoured with her writing. i’ve read 5 of her works now and id say this was the most challenging one so far, but it was worth it (again, the mind expands!). the afterword was also so moving . i love words !!!!! ...more
4.5 ☆ what a book!!! maggie nelson never ceases to amaze me (yes im obsessed with everything she writes).. informative, critical, rich, deeply intelle4.5 ☆ what a book!!! maggie nelson never ceases to amaze me (yes im obsessed with everything she writes).. informative, critical, rich, deeply intellectual, fluid, etc. this read was amazing. it took me so long to get through it — i cant deny how challenging i found the book, but it was 100% worth it! it was arguably my first encounter with the cultural/art critique genre and it definitely won’t be my last ☆ however if i have to engage with discourse on the nature and/or purpose of art one more time i will throw up .. i need at least a month to recover...more
3.5, super captivant. j’ai vraiment aimé sa plume (confrontante et directe) qui témoigne d’une rage qui m’est familière - je veux définitivement lire 3.5, super captivant. j’ai vraiment aimé sa plume (confrontante et directe) qui témoigne d’une rage qui m’est familière - je veux définitivement lire plus de virginie despentes. son approche révolutionnaire me rejoint, par contre, je pense pas être en accord avec tous ses propos (pas d’une façon libfem je tiens à le dire); j’ai été déçue par la section sur la pornographie....more
INCREDIBLE!!!! deserves so much more recognition. the letter structure was super refreshing & allowed for a really engaging exploration of disability INCREDIBLE!!!! deserves so much more recognition. the letter structure was super refreshing & allowed for a really engaging exploration of disability and feminism. the juxtaposition of historical, anecdotal, and sociological perspectives significantly enriched limburg’s examination of the intersection of ableism and misogyny. overall a really strong book, both moving and informative. à lire!...more
2021 — 5☆ very thought provoking and incredibly well-written. an amazing and important memoir everyone should read. it’s the kind of book I know will 2021 — 5☆ very thought provoking and incredibly well-written. an amazing and important memoir everyone should read. it’s the kind of book I know will stick with me for a very long time.
2023 — 4☆, i specifically love carmen maria machado and her writing but what makes this memoir stand out for me is the cultural references throughout the book. i know people critique it but i think that specific blend of prose and fact adds a lot to the reading experience. im a fan of that in general. her writing and ability to appropriate the horror genre remains unmatched ! this book is a gift. i invite everyone to judge this book by its cover: it’s gorgeous....more
