Barthes, R. (1981) Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography. London. Vintage.

This is a beautiful book which goes some way towards personalising art theory. I first read it during my degree, and somewhat modelled my thinking in my own dissertation upon its approach. I wrote about an old childhood photograph of my father, and related that to different ideas about time, science and philosophy. I recently re-read that dissertation, written in 2006, after a gap of some years, and rather impressed myself. Much of my thinking still related to that, to unpeeling layers of meaning and making connections between different strands of thinking and disciplines - finding parallels and metaphors to borrow.

This is a book I often take with me to browse during a tube journey. Presence and absence. I know I have more scribbled notes about ideas and thoughts that occur when reading. Of all book notes, these are the most scattered amongst notes to sort. I don't feel they are lost, as reading Barthes is a shifting sea of ideas and reflections anyway.

I seem to remember mentioning Barthes to an OCA tutor near the start of the MA, who stressed to also read post-Barthes critique.Yes. Does reading a book make one completely susceptible to all its ideas, or can one retain a sense of further thoughts, further counter-ideas. I think so. I know so, However, I do like to go back to source.

11th November 2013