Items related to Picturing Ourselves: Photography and Autobiography

Picturing Ourselves: Photography and Autobiography - Softcover

 
9780226731476: Picturing Ourselves: Photography and Autobiography
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 

Photography has transformed the way we picture ourselves. Although photographs seem to "prove" our existence at a given point in time, they also demonstrate the impossibility of framing our multiple and fragmented selves. As Linda Haverty Rugg convincingly shows, photography's double take on self-image mirrors the concerns of autobiographers, who see the self as simultaneously divided (in observing/being) and unified by the autobiographical act.

Rugg tracks photography's impact on the formation of self-image through the study of four literary autobiographers concerned with the transformative power of photography. Obsessed with self-image, Mark Twain and August Strindberg both attempted (unsuccessfully) to integrate photographs into their autobiographies. While Twain encouraged photographers, he was wary of fakery and kept a fierce watch on the distribution of his photographic image. Strindberg, believing that photographs had occult power, preferred to photograph himself.

Because of their experiences under National Socialism, Walter Benjamin and Christa Wolf feared the dangerously objectifying power of photographs and omitted them from their autobiographical writings. Yet Benjamin used them in his photographic conception of history, which had its testing ground in his often-ignored Berliner Kindheit um 1900. And Christa Wolf's narrator in Patterns of Childhood attempts to reclaim her childhood from the Nazis by reconstructing mental images of lost family photographs.

Confronted with multiple and conflicting images of themselves, all four of these writers are torn between the knowledge that texts, photographs, and indeed selves are haunted by undecidability and the desire for the returned glance of a single self.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

From the Back Cover:
As Linda Haverty Rugg persuasively shows, photography's double take on self-image mirrors the concerns of autobiographers, who see the self as simultaneously divided (in observing/being) and unified by the autobiographical act. Rugg tracks photography's impact on the formation of self-image through the study of four literary autobiographers. Obsessed with self-image, Mark Twain and August Strindberg attempted (unsuccessfully) to integrate photographs into their autobiographies. While Twain encouraged photographers, he was wary of potential fakery. Strindberg, believing that photographs had occult power, preferred to photograph himself. Because of their experiences under National Socialism, Walter Benjamin and Christa Wolf feared the dangerously objectifying power of photographs and omitted them from their autobiographical writings. Yet Benjamin used them in his photographic conception of history, and Wolf's narrator in Patterns of Childhood tries to reclaim her childhood from the Nazis by reconstructing mental images of lost family photographs. Confronted with multiple and conflicting images of themselves, all four of these writers are torn between the knowledge that texts, photographs, and indeed selves are haunted by undecidability and the desire for the returned glance of a single self.
About the Author:
Linda Haverty Rugg is associate professor of German and Scandinavian at Ohio State University.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780226731469: Picturing Ourselves: Photography and Autobiography

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780226731469
Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 1997
Hardcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Rugg, Linda Haverty
Published by University of Chicago Press (1997)
ISBN 10: 0226731472 ISBN 13: 9780226731476
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldenWavesOfBooks
(Fayetteville, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_0226731472

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 25.80
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.00
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Rugg, Linda Haverty
Published by University of Chicago Press (1997)
ISBN 10: 0226731472 ISBN 13: 9780226731476
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
Wizard Books
(Long Beach, CA, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Seller Inventory # Wizard0226731472

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 26.77
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 3.50
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Rugg, Linda Haverty
Published by University of Chicago Press (1997)
ISBN 10: 0226731472 ISBN 13: 9780226731476
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldBooks
(Austin, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # think0226731472

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 26.88
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.25
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Rugg, Linda Haverty
Published by University of Chicago Press (1997)
ISBN 10: 0226731472 ISBN 13: 9780226731476
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Front Cover Books
(Denver, CO, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # FrontCover0226731472

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 29.98
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.30
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Linda Haverty Rugg
ISBN 10: 0226731472 ISBN 13: 9780226731476
New paperback Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Blackwell's
(Oxford, OX, United Kingdom)

Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780226731476

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 31.86
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 5.68
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Linda Rugg
Published by University of Chicago Press (1997)
ISBN 10: 0226731472 ISBN 13: 9780226731476
New PAP Quantity: 15
Seller:
PBShop.store US
(Wood Dale, IL, U.S.A.)

Book Description PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # FW-9780226731476

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 43.14
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Rugg, Linda Haverty
Published by University of Chicago Press (1997)
ISBN 10: 0226731472 ISBN 13: 9780226731476
New Softcover Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Lucky's Textbooks
(Dallas, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # ABLIING23Feb2215580062730

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 41.48
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 3.99
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Rugg, Linda Haverty
Published by University of Chicago Press (1997)
ISBN 10: 0226731472 ISBN 13: 9780226731476
New Softcover Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Brook Bookstore
(Milano, MI, Italy)

Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 096fa3fa90d75247c161099122e1b959

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 37.71
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 8.63
From Italy to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Linda Haverty Rugg
ISBN 10: 0226731472 ISBN 13: 9780226731476
New Softcover Quantity: > 20
Seller:

Book Description Condition: New. Photography has transformed the way we picture ourselves. This text tracks the impact of photography on the formation of the self-image through the study of four literary autobiographers concerned with the power of photography. All four writers tried to reconcile the image with the self. Num Pages: 286 pages, 40 halftones, 5 line drawings. BIC Classification: AJ; DSB; JMS. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational; (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly; (UU) Undergraduate. Dimension: 256 x 152 x 21. Weight in Grams: 560. . 1997. New ed. Paperback. . . . . Seller Inventory # V9780226731476

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 37.19
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 11.33
From Ireland to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Linda Haverty Rugg
ISBN 10: 0226731472 ISBN 13: 9780226731476
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
Grand Eagle Retail
(Wilmington, DE, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Photography has transformed the way we picture ourselves. Although photographs seem to "prove" our existence at a given point in time, they also demonstrate the impossibility of framing our multiple and fragmented selves. As Linda Haverty Rugg convincingly shows, photography's double take on self-image mirrors the concerns of autobiographers, who see the self as simultaneously divided (in observing/being) and unified by the autobiographical act.Rugg tracks photography's impact on the formation of self-image through the study of four literary autobiographers concerned with the transformative power of photography. Obsessed with self-image, Mark Twain and August Strindberg both attempted (unsuccessfully) to integrate photographs into their autobiographies. While Twain encouraged photographers, he was wary of fakery and kept a fierce watch on the distribution of his photographic image. Strindberg, believing that photographs had occult power, preferred to photograph himself.Because of their experiences under National Socialism, Walter Benjamin and Christa Wolf feared the dangerously objectifying power of photographs and omitted them from their autobiographical writings. Yet Benjamin used them in his photographic conception of history, which had its testing ground in his often-ignored Berliner Kindheit um 1900. And Christa Wolf's narrator in Patterns of Childhood attempts to reclaim her childhood from the Nazis by reconstructing mental images of lost family photographs.Confronted with multiple and conflicting images of themselves, all four of these writers are torn between the knowledge that texts, photographs, and indeed selves are haunted by undecidability and the desire for the returned glance of a single self. Photography has transformed the way we picture ourselves. This text tracks the impact of photography on the formation of the self-image through the study of four literary autobiographers concerned with the power of photography. All four writers tried to reconcile the image with the self. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780226731476

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 48.77
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

There are more copies of this book

View all search results for this book