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Camera Lucida

Vintage Design Edition
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( 76,547 ratings, 1,246 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes is a philosophical exploration of photography, blending personal reflection with theoretical analysis. Barthes delves into the essence of photographs and their impact on memory and reality. The book is a meditation on the nature of images and their emotional resonance.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

If you're fascinated by the aesthetic and emotional depth behind photography, you may find this book appealing. It offers an introspective exploration of the nature of photographs and how they evoke personal and cultural memories, providing a unique blend of philosophical reflection and personal insight.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

An inquiry into a very modern art form - photography. Barthes' personal investigation into the meaning of photographs is a seminal work of critical theory of the twentieth century.

Barthes' investigation into the meaning of photographs is a seminal work of twentieth-century critical theory. This is a special Vintage Design Edition, with a fold-out cover and stunning photography throughout.

Examining themes of presence and absence, these reflections on photography begin as an investigation into the nature of photographs - their content, their pull on the viewer, their intimacy. Then, as Barthes contemplates a photograph of his mother as a child, the book becomes an exposition of his own mind. He was grieving for his mother at the time of writing. Strikingly personal, yet one of the most important early academic works on photography, Camera Lucida remains essential reading for anyone interested in the power of images.

'Effortlessly, as if in passing, his reflections on photography raise questions and doubts which will permanently affect the vision of the reader' Guardian

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Camera Lucida is praised for its accessible language and personal insights from Roland Barthes, offering profound reflections on photography that challenge the reader's perception. Critics regard it as a beautiful and poignant farewell work that significantly shaped the understanding of photography as a medium. A sense of discovery and nostalgia permeates the book, inviting readers into a contemplative exploration of both photography and personal memory.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781784876012

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 12 March 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage Classics

Contributors:

  • Translated by Richard Howard
  • Translated by Richard Howard
  • Translated by Richard Howard

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 15.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 200g

Pages: 160

About the Author

Roland Barthes was born in 1915 and studied French literature and classics at the University of Paris. After teaching French at universities in Romania and Egypt, he joined the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique, where he devoted himself to research in sociology and lexicology. He was a professor at the College de France until his death in 1980.

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