The works of American essayist and novelist Susan Sontag (1933-2004) strongly influenced experimental art during my childhood. According to Eugene Garber’s article in the World Book Encyclopedia, Sontag is best known for a collection of essays titled “Against Interpretation” in which she argued that we should experience art with our emotions and senses, and not analyze it. An essay collection called “Styles of Radical Will,” published in 1969, deals with the effects of drugs and pornography on art. In 1977, “On Photography” was published, discussing the nature of photography. Several of her essays on literature and motion pictures were published in “Under the Sign of Saturn” (1980). She authored several novels (one of my questions pertains to those). Because of her radical ideology and, in the words of Kevin Myers of the Daily Telegraph in London, “lordly pronouncements,” Sontag was the object of criticism. [1.] Which one is not a Sontag novel? A. “The Benefactor” B. “Death Kit” C. “The Volcano Lover” D. “Alice in Bed” E. “In America” [2.] The Sorbonne was in A. Marseille. B. Paris. C. Aubagne. D. Toulouse. E. Nice. No. 1 is D. “Alice in Bed” is a published play by Sontag; its protagonist is Alice James (1848-92). All entries under No. 2 are the names of cities in France; B is the answer. Sontag studied at the Sorbonne (no longer a separate college). [3.] Which one is not true of Alice James? A. She was the sister of the American born novelist, Henry James. B. She was the sister of the U.S. philosopher and psychologist William James. C. Her body was assailed by a mysterious ailment that kept her bedridden. D. She composed “The Well-Tempered Clavier.” E. She was born in New York, N.Y. [4.] etcetera (et-SET-er-uh) A. a number of other things or persons unspecified B. moreover C. hodgepodge D. argot E. None of the above No. 3 is D. Etcetera is pronounced “et-SEY-truh,” too. Dictionary.com’s definition is “a number of other things or persons unspecified.” The noun “etcetera” is in the title of a collection of Sontag’s short stories. The e is not capitalized in the title “I, etcetera.” [5] To which one did Sontag compare literature? A. transition B. passport C. gazelle D. womanhood E. The Living Word, Christ “Literature was the passport to enter a larger life; that is, the zone of freedom.” Editor’s Note: Dr. Don Rodney Vaughan is the pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church near Eupora and is on the faculty of East Mississippi Community College, Golden Triangle Campus. Contact him at dvaughan@eastms.edu.
