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In America, the photographer is not simply the person who records the past, but the one who invents it.
Susan Sontag
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote suggests that photographers play a crucial role in shaping narratives about the past through their images.

Susan Sontag's quote emphasizes the influential power of photographers in the interpretation and presentation of history. Rather than merely documenting events as they occurred, photographers actively curate and 'invent' the narratives that surround their subjects, thus shaping public perception and memory of the past.

Themes

PhotographyHistoryNarrativeArtPerception

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about the influence of art on society, one might reference this quote to illustrate how photography shapes historical narratives.

More from Susan Sontag

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.
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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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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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