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Representing Pain in Film : A Phenomenological Approach to Gibson, Tarantino and Lynch

Svenungsson, Jayne LU orcid (2012) In Culture and Religion 13(1). p.67-74
Abstract
What does pain look like? Pain is felt, as every human being knows. But what about its visibility? Is it possible to depict pain? We can represent its visible expressions. We can also, to a certain extent, capture that which causes pain. But what about pain itself? This paper addresses the question of how to represent pain from a phenomenological perspective. Adopting the phenomenological analysis of Jean-Luc Marion, its purpose is to explore a very specific form of phenomenality, what I shall term a phenomenality of compassion. In spite of the difficulties or even impossibility of representing pain as such, there are nonetheless representations that evoke a specific kind of pain in the viewing subject. What is at stake here, I argue, is a... (More)
What does pain look like? Pain is felt, as every human being knows. But what about its visibility? Is it possible to depict pain? We can represent its visible expressions. We can also, to a certain extent, capture that which causes pain. But what about pain itself? This paper addresses the question of how to represent pain from a phenomenological perspective. Adopting the phenomenological analysis of Jean-Luc Marion, its purpose is to explore a very specific form of phenomenality, what I shall term a phenomenality of compassion. In spite of the difficulties or even impossibility of representing pain as such, there are nonetheless representations that evoke a specific kind of pain in the viewing subject. What is at stake here, I argue, is a phenomenality which not only evokes the subject’s compassion (compassio) for the pain and suffering (passio) of the other, but which also calls the subject to responsibility for the other, urging it never to remain indifferent to the pain of the other. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
visual pain, phenomenology, film, The Passion of the Christ, Jean-Luc Marion, compassion
in
Culture and Religion
volume
13
issue
1
pages
67 - 74
publisher
Routledge
external identifiers
  • scopus:84859338711
ISSN
1475-5610
DOI
10.1080/14755610.2012.658421
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
d43a9828-9f16-4dc2-962d-cfc36fcb03d6 (old id 8727869)
alternative location
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14755610.2012.658421
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:31:47
date last changed
2024-01-06 19:01:08
@article{d43a9828-9f16-4dc2-962d-cfc36fcb03d6,
  abstract     = {{What does pain look like? Pain is felt, as every human being knows. But what about its visibility? Is it possible to depict pain? We can represent its visible expressions. We can also, to a certain extent, capture that which causes pain. But what about pain itself? This paper addresses the question of how to represent pain from a phenomenological perspective. Adopting the phenomenological analysis of Jean-Luc Marion, its purpose is to explore a very specific form of phenomenality, what I shall term a phenomenality of compassion. In spite of the difficulties or even impossibility of representing pain as such, there are nonetheless representations that evoke a specific kind of pain in the viewing subject. What is at stake here, I argue, is a phenomenality which not only evokes the subject’s compassion (compassio) for the pain and suffering (passio) of the other, but which also calls the subject to responsibility for the other, urging it never to remain indifferent to the pain of the other.}},
  author       = {{Svenungsson, Jayne}},
  issn         = {{1475-5610}},
  keywords     = {{visual pain; phenomenology; film; The Passion of the Christ; Jean-Luc Marion; compassion}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{67--74}},
  publisher    = {{Routledge}},
  series       = {{Culture and Religion}},
  title        = {{Representing Pain in Film : A Phenomenological Approach to Gibson, Tarantino and Lynch}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14755610.2012.658421}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/14755610.2012.658421}},
  volume       = {{13}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}