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filthpolitics's review
3.0
I think there were times when Maggie was speaking about things she didn’t understand, and that got in the way. Also her prose is sometimes inscrutable. Also white cis feminist criticism makes me REALLY wary.
In other ways though, a super interesting read, and I feel like I learned a good amount. It was cool.
I’m left with ambivalent feelings, which Maggie would argue, is probably cool and good and fine.
In other ways though, a super interesting read, and I feel like I learned a good amount. It was cool.
I’m left with ambivalent feelings, which Maggie would argue, is probably cool and good and fine.
breadandmushrooms's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
mayawinshell's review
5.0
not gonna pretend that i understood what i was reading all of the time (most? oops!) but god do i love maggie nelson’s beautiful yet casual prose, and boy am i jealous of her big brain, i.e. her sharp and articulate responses to pieces of art that would leave most people speechless/thoughtless/*reactionless*. by that, i mean that most people outside of the art world (myself included) seem to let most cruel things, whether that’s experimental art or heinous news, sort of glide on by. why seek out and sit through something upsetting? it’s easier to ignore, and it’s less controversial (usually) not to form any opinion at all. but maggie nelson comes armed with something to SAY. she’s engaging deeply with everything she comes across, and keeping it on her mind for years. despite the difficulty of comprehension, i wanted to read this (and plan to read more nelson) in hopes of absorbing even a little bit of her POV through osmosis, ideally expanding my ability to notice things and be able to actually talk about them, and encouraging my hunger for the exploration of diverse art—including the stuff that feels unpleasant to engage with. here’s to pushing myself.
aquint's review
4.0
This book was not exactly what I was expecting but brought up some points that made me rethink some of the work she dissects. She did not seem to have a clear objective other than discussing cruelty in many forms in a variety of art, literature, and film. It was still interesting even if she didn't have a strong opinion on the subject. I would have loved images to correspond with the text.