the personal journal of Brent Stewart
I think I came upon this essay after a discussion about the Barbie movie. Haven’t seen the movie, but apparently it fits into a theatrical style called camp. I know camp when I see it, but had trouble defining it or what the point of it was.
Having read Notes on Camp, I think Sontag also has trouble defining camp. She defines camp as a style that enjoys exageration, focuses on appearances, and denies concepts of rightness - indeed reviles in uniqueness.
Sontags approach is scattered, broad, and refuses to be hemmed in by a structured argument. It’s like a watercolor, notes blending into each other, with the resulting scene muddied as if seen through gauze. Maybe that’s the point - that the harder you examine something the less it becomes camp, like some kind of quantum uncertainty of style.
For all it’s blotchy presentation, I learned something about the style. I think I also gained some insight into the progression of America sense the 1960s, when this was written. In many ways we have become a people of uncertain principles, focused on style, and valueing uniqueness above all else. I’m not sure that was her point, but there’s some accuracy and tragedy in that connection.
Meh. It was thought provoking and short. It would be a good reading for a discussion group - easy to digest, a lot to chew on, and a fertile ground for whichever way the discussion goes.
Not really. I think the folks who will find value in this are interested in the cultural development of the US and folks who enjoy camp.