On Photography

In On Photography, Sontag’s tone is informal and polemical. What ideological stakes does she believe readers will readily understand without her having to state her central premises? What does Sontag take for granted about the nature of society, culture, and economics?

Why do you think Sontag presents her essays in the order that she does? What would change if the essays were presented in a different order? Might a different way of arranging the essays be more efficient? If so, why?

Sontag took much inspiration from the quotation collages of Walter Benjamin. What do the literary techniques of collage and montage achieve in “A Brief Anthology of Quotations” that a well-written essay could not? Why does Sontag choose to include this curated collection of quotations?