Born A Slave
Upon finishing Roland Barthes’ Camera Lucida, I was left unsatisfied. Barthes is not only wordy, but he is also giving “expert information” on a subject that he merely is opinionated about. He can never decide what photography actually is because he constantly has to polarize his answers. For example, Barthes states “Such are two ways of the Photograph. The choice is mine: to subject its spectacle to the civilized code of perfect illusions, or to confront in it the wakening of able reality” (119). When Barthes gives an opinion about the photograph he must also state the opposite of that opinion- which one is it?
On the other hand, I enjoyed viewing the photographs added into the text and their explanations. I did not agree with many of the photographic analyses, but my favorite picture can be seen below. Like Barthes says, it represents absolute purity.
-karen
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