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Subtext: Conversations about Classic Books and FilmsAnalysis of a book, film, play, or poem. Author: Wes Alwan and Erin O'Luanaigh
Subtext is a book club podcast for readers interested in what the greatest works of the human imagination say about lifes big questions. Each episode, philosopher Wes Alwan and poet Erin OLuanaigh conduct a close reading of a text or film and co-write an audio essay about it in real time. Its literary analysis, but in the best sense: we try not overly stuffy and pedantic, but rather focus on unearthing whats most compelling about great books and movies, and how it is they can touch our lives in such a significant way. Language: en Genres: Arts, Books, TV & Film Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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The Ethics of Seeing in Susan Sontag’s “On Photography” (Part 2)
Monday, 23 March, 2026
Photography is a technology of contradictions. It is at once mechanical and mysterious, even magical. It furnishes evidence of presence while being a token of absence. It can show us proof but can’t, without accompanying narration or context, make us understand. And perhaps most perplexing of all, it is an imperialistic technology which, paradoxically, atomizes the world and democratizes all events and experiences, making each viewer of photographs the owner of a facsimile-world in his or her head. Wes & Erin discuss two essays from Susan Sontag’s collection, “On Photography,” “In Plato’s Cave” and “America, Seen Through Photographs, Darkly,” and ask what constitutes photography’s “ethics of seeing,” and whether Sontag suggests an alternative comportment towards the camera, the subject, and the photographic image. Upcoming Episodes: Withnail & I; Waiting for Godot Pre-order Erin’s forthcoming book “Avail” here: http://subtextpodcast.com/avail For bonus content, become a paid subscriber at Patreon or directly on the Apple Podcasts app. Patreon subscribers also get early access to ad-free regular episodes. This podcast is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Visit AirwaveMedia.com to listen and subscribe to other Airwave shows like Good Job, Brain and Big Picture Science. Email advertising@airwavemedia.com to enquire about advertising on the podcast. Follow: Twitter | Facebook | Website
