Like the collector, the photographer is animated by a passion that, even when it appears to be for the present, is linked to a sense of the past.
Susan SontagRead
...to be a poet, requires a mythology of the self. The self described is the poet self, to which the daily self (and others) are often ruthlessly sacrificed. The poet self is the real self, the other one is the carrier; and when the poet self dies, the person dies.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A poet's identity is deeply tied to their inner truths, often at the cost of their external self.
This quote by Susan Sontag highlights the distinction between the 'poet self' and the 'daily self'. The poet self is seen as the authentic identity that draws from personal mythology and deep truths, while the daily self may conform to societal expectations, often leading to a sacrifice of genuine expression. The loss of this inner poet self signifies a profound personal loss.
Themes
PoetIdentitySelfMythologyAuthenticity
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the importance of self-expression in art, one might reference this quote to emphasize the necessity of authenticity.
More from Susan Sontag
All quotes →Science fiction films are not about science. They are about disaster, which is one of the oldest subjects of art.
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Gide and I have attained such perfect intellectual communion that I experience the appropriate labor pains for every thought he gives birth to!
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Volume depends precisely on the writer's having been able to sit in a room every day, year after year, alone.
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In NY sensuality completely turns into sexuality - no objects for the senses to respond to, no beautiful river, houses, people. Awful smells of the street, and dirt... Nothing except eating, if that, and the frenzy of the bed.
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It hurts to love. It's like giving yourself to be flayed and knowing that at any moment the other person may just walk off with your skin.
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