On Susan Sontag’ Aesthetic Thoughts

Susan Sontag, a most controversial female figure in the 20th century of America, enjoys high fame in the literature and cultural critique domain. Among all the accomplishments that Susan Sontag achieved, her aesthetic critiques have been a unique attraction.Domestically, there are three major research categories in China, led by WANG Yuxia, CHENG Wenggang, and ZHANG Nin respectively. Abroad, the research on Sontag falls into three categories as well:a historical approach, a critic approach and others.The originality of Sontag’s aesthetic views stems from her American identity, which was being a member of the ethic group who are rather open to the alien thoughts. Secondly it has been shaped by cultural and historical events, namely, the Anti-Culture Revolution, Avant-Garde, Theory of Relativism, Deconstruction and the like. Thirdly it has been greatly influenced by thoughts of Nietzsche, Benjamin, Bath, and so on. Hence Sontag’s aesthetic thoughts feature by her European charms as well as her distinctive American characteristics.The reconstruction of Sontag’s publications is carried out under three main categories:Novels. The 3-phase-division of Sontag’s novels is based on themes rather than being divided chronologically. The heroes in her first phase pose a playful attitude to their life featured with a Saturn disposition. The works of this kind pay more attention to form of the structures than to the plot. The second phase featured with a readable plot and a changed melancholy atmosphere. The dramatic change comes in the third phase, when heroes are more confident and optimistic. The writing style remains the same, though, posing a deliberately exaggerated and versatile as well as disrupted language flow. Aesthetic messages conveyed from these three phases are Against Interpretation, Erotic Art, and Principle of Transparence respectively.Articles. In Sontag’s articles, there are some vital concepts like Camp, Metaphor, and Silent Aesthetics. Camp is a modern way of viewing art, and it takes an anti-culture position. Metaphor is not only a figure of speech, more importantly it is an embodiment of prejudice and stereotypes. Silence in itself has been the most potent element in art. These under-discussed concepts share something in common, that is they are all inseparable from style, which is an aesthetic theme that Sontag tries to explore in her articles.Visual Works. What Sontag concerns herself with in photographs and audio productions are the visual art applying high technologies. Visual works distinguishes themselves from literature texts by their distinctive way of expression, that is, they exploit an imagery text instead of linguistic text. However, the current audio programs have ignored the morality values in its expressions. It does not imply that artistic work should educate its reader, however, since the art is to beckon in its audience a real feeling about life. Hence the importance of forming a new sensibility is the main aesthetic information conveyed in this section.The real significance of Sontag can be revealed by a variety of criticisms. In the practice of criticism, there are mainly two approaches in China:One is based on the overall analysis of Sontag’s publications, and the other is on certain texts by Sontag, the latter research has been conducted from perspectives of Historicism, Formalism, Colonism, and Formalism respectively.Nevertheless, to uncover a real Sontag, an approach which is call The Principle without Critique is indispensable.From the Linguistic Critique, Formalism reflects the attitude of Sontag to Interpretation, which is, traditionally, Interpretation is not to reveal but to conceal an art by adding some meanings to it; Style is different from stylization, in the case that the latter is what being presented precisely in a work of art when an artist makes inevitable distinction between matter and manner, theme and form; and New Sensibility aims at refuting the old and traditional way of sensibility.From the Thoughts Critique, Sontag’s point of views poses a feature of a western ideology, however, the foundation of which is not solid, for the contradictory part lies in its ontological diabolism base, which dresses the absurdity of the world and against any interpretations of the works of art.From the Existence Critique, Sontag advocates a break-up of aesthetic-and-rational opposition in order to integrate a whole-hearted human being, Style offers a personalized experience with semi-conscious aesthetic awareness, and New Sensibility dresses the detachment of human ego in the post-industry world.Nevertheless, the aesthetic thoughts from the above three fields are not isolated from each other. On the contrary, they are closely associated. Concepts of Form, Style and New Sensibility are somehow overlapped in Sontag’s writings. They are, interestingly, interdependent and mutual-developed. Such a relation resembles very much that of the game of the art. And those concepts are united in three ways:firstly, they are all an indispensable part in the process of the forming of the art. Secondly, they indicate an integrity that is made up of works, artists, and readers. Thirdly, form and style to some extend equals to the new sensibility, for in Sontag, the former share with the latter the same artistic purpose that is to evoke a new sensibility when comprehending art.Opinions vary on the boundary of Sontag’s aesthetic thoughts. Some attribute modernity to Sontag, and some address her thoughts as a post-modernity product. These disputes shed the light on the changes of Sontag’s chaning views in her life time, though. Despite being tagged as modernist or postmodernist, Sontag would rather bridge the gap between the two camps.Meanwhile, it is easy to locate Sontag’s explicitly stated two main looming themes--the consideration of morality and the seeking of the truth of art. However, Sontag advocates no moral doctrines in art, for her, art is merely for the art’s sake.The essence of Sontag’ aesthetic thoughts is its anti-metaphysics point of view and the pursuit of the genuine art. Time changed, but the problems that Sontag faced in her time still confront us Chinese today. What Sontag had endeavored in her attempts--calling human sensibility--still can be of great use to us, which perhaps may account for the phenomenon of an aroused interest on Sontag in China today.