The Art of Cruelty: A Reckoning

Writing in the tradition of Susan Sontag and Elaine Scarry, Maggie Nelson has emerged as one of our foremost cultural critics with this landmark work about representations of cruelty and violence in art. From Sylvia Plath's poetry to Francis Bacon's paintings, from the Saw franchise to Yoko Ono's performance art, Nelson's nuanced exploration across the artistic landscape ultimately offers a model of how one might balance strong ethical convictions with an equally strong appreciation for work that tests the limits of taste, taboo, and permissibility.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 08/13/2012
ISBN: 9780393343144
Pages: 288
Weight: 0.53lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.40w x 0.80d

Review Citations: New York Times Book Review 09/09/2012 pg. 24