Machine generated contents note: Contents -- Introduction: Envisioning the Unwatchable -- Part I: Violence and Testimony -- Theorizing the Unwatchable -- 1. W. J. T. Mitchell, Unwatchable -- 2. Boris Groys, The Gaze from Within -- 3. Fred Moten and Stefano Harney, The Unwatchable and the Unwatchable -- 4. Alenka Zupančič, Melting Into Visibility -- 5. Meghan Sutherland, Pro Forma -- Spectacles of Destruction -- 6. Jonathan Crary, Terminal Radiance -- 7. Poulomi Saha, Unwatched/Unmanned: Drone Strikes and the Aesthetics of the Unseen -- 8. Alex Bush, Breakaway -- 9. Meir Wigoder, The Watchability of the Unwatchable: Television Disaster Coverage -- Bearing Witness -- 10. Peter Geimer, The Incommensurable -- 11. Leshu Torchin, Not Seeing is Believing: The Unwatchable in Advocacy -- 12. Frances Guerin, Even If She Had Been a Criminal: A Past Unwatched -- 13. Federico Windhausen, Deframing Evidence: A Transmission from Los ingravidos -- 14. Emily Wills, Alan Kurdi's Body on the Shore -- Visual Regimes of Racial Violence -- 15. Stanley Wolukau-Wanambwa, Held Helpless in the Breach: On American History X -- 16. Jared Sexton, The Flash of History: On the Unwatchable in Get Out -- 17. Alexandra Juhasz, Nothing is Unwatchable for All -- 18. Michael Boyce Gillespie, Empathy. Complicity. -- Spectacularization and Resistance -- 19. Alok Vaid-Menon, Entertainment Value -- 20. Alec Butler, Holocausts, Headdresses, Hallowe'en -- 21. Danielle Peers, Unwitnessable: Outrageous Ableist Impersonations and Unwitnessed Everyday Violence -- Part II: Histories and Genres -- The Tradition of Provocateurs -- 22. Asbjrn Grnstad, The Two Unwatchables -- 23. Akira Lippit, Real Horrorshow -- 24. Mauro Resmini, Asymmetries of Desire: Sal or the 120 Days of Sodom -- 25. Mattias Frey, Unstomachable: Irreversible and the Extreme Cinema Tradition -- Enduring the Avant-Garde -- 26. Christophe Wall-Romana, Unwatchability by Choice: Isou's Venom and Eternity -- 27. KennethBerger, The Refusal of Spectacle: Debord's Howls for Sade -- 28. J. Hoberman, Warhol's Empire: Unwatched and Unwatchable -- 29. Nol Carroll, Warhol's Empire -- 30. Erika Balsom, Watching Paint Dry -- Visceral Responses to Horror -- 31. Vivian Sobchack, "Peek-a-boo": Thoughts on (Maybe Not) Seeing Two Horror Films -- 32. B. Ruby Rich, Why I Cannot Watch Horror Movies -- 33. Genevieve Yue, Apotropes -- Pornography and the Question of Pleasure -- 34. Susie Bright, I Am Curious (Butterball) -- 35. Bill Nichols, At the Threshold to the Void -- Archives and the Disintegrating Image -- 36. Elif Rongen-Kaynaki, Restoring Blood Money -- 37. Jan Olsson, Negotiating Garbo -- 38. Philipp Stiasny and Bennet Togler, Twilight of the Dead -- Part III: Spectators and Objects -- Passionate Aversions -- 39. Jonathan Rosenbaum, "Sad!": Why I Won't Watch Antichrist -- 40. Julian Hanich, Oh, Inventiveness! Oh, Imaginativeness! Precious Cinema and Its Discontents: A Rant -- 41. Nathan Lee, Transforming Nihilism -- 42. Jeffrey Sconce, The Biopic is an Affront to the Cinema -- Tedious Whiteness -- 43. Jack Halberstam, White Men Behaving Sadly -- 44. Mel Y. Chen, Two Tables and a Ladder: WCGW? -- 45. Brandy Monk-Payton, "You is Kind, You is Smart, You is Important" or, Why I Can't Watch The Help -- Reality Trumpism -- 46. Lynne Joyrich, TV Trumps -- 47. Abigail De Kosnik, The Once and Future Hillary: Why I Won't Watch Any Fictionalizations of the 2016 Election -- Pedagogy and Campus Politics -- 48. Ral Perez, Why We Can't Take a Joke -- 49. Jennifer Malkowski, The Bridge and Unteachable Films -- 50. Katariina Kyrola, Squirming in the Classroom: Fat Girl and the Ethical Value of Extreme Discomfort -- The Triggered Spectator -- 51. E. Ann Kaplan, What is an "Unwatchable" Film? (With Reference to Amour and Still Alice) -- 52. Barbara Hammer, Unwatchable Advertising -- 53. Samuel England, Sects, Fries, and Videotape -- 54. Rebecca Schneider, Off Watch -- Acknowledgments -- Filmography -- Bibliography -- Notes on Contributors -- Index. Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents:
Introduction : envisioning the unwatchable / Nicholas Baer, Maggie Hennefeld, Laura Horak, Gunnar Iversen -- Unwatchable / W.J.T. Mitchell -- The gaze from within / Boris Groys -- The unwatchable and the unwatchable / Stefano Harney, Fred Moten -- Melting into visibility / Alenka Zupančič -- Pro forma / Meghan Sutherland -- Terminal radiance / Jonathan Crary -- Unwatched/unmanned : drone strikes and the aesthetics of the unseen / Poulomi Saha -- Breakaway / Alex Bush -- The watchability of the unwatchable : television disaster coverage / Meir Wigoder -- The incommensurable / Peter Geimer -- Not seeing is believing : the unwatchable in advocacy / Leshu Torchin -- Even if she had been a criminal : a past unwatched / Frances Guerin -- Deframing evidence : a transmission from los ingrávidos / Federico Windhausen -- Alan Kurdi's body on the shore / Emily Regan Wills -- Held helpless in the breach : on American history X / Stanley Wolukau-Wanambwa -- The flash of history : on the unwatchable in Get Out / Jared Sexton -- Nothing is unwatchable for all / Alexandra Juhasz -- Empathy. Complicity. / Michael Boyce Gillespie -- Entertainment value / Alok Vaid-Menon -- Holocausts, hallowe'en, and headdresses / Alec Butler -- Unwitnessable : outrageous ableist impersonations and unwitnessed everyday violence / Danielle Peers -- The two unwatchables / Asbjørn Grønstad -- Real horrorshow / Akira Mizuta Lippit -- Asymmetries of desire : Salò, or the 120 days of Sodom / Mauro Resmini -- Unstomachable : irréversible and the extreme cinema tradition / Mattias Prey -- Unwatchability by choice : Isou's Venom and Eternity / Christophe Wall-Romana -- The refusal of spectacle : Debord's Howls for Sade / Kenneth Berger -- Warhol's Empire : unwatched and unwatchable / J. Hoberman -- Warhol's Empire / Noël Carroll -- Watching paint dry / Erika Balsom -- "Peekaboo" : thoughts on (maybe not) seeing two horror films / Vivian Sobchack -- Why I cannot watch / B. Ruby Rich -- Apotropes / Genevieve Yue -- I am curious (butterball) / Susie Bright -- At the threshold to the void / Bill Nichols -- Restoring blood money / Elif Rongen-Kaynakçi -- Turning Garbo watchable : from Swedish bread bun to Hollywood goddess / Jan Olsson -- Twilight of the dead / Philipp Stiasny, Bennet Togler -- "Sad!" : why I won't watch Antichrist / Jonathan Rosenbaum -- Transforming nihilism / Nathan Lee -- Oh, inventiveness! Oh, imaginativeness! Precious cinema and its discontents : a rant / Julian Hanich -- The biopic is an affront to the cinema / Jeffrey Sconce -- White men behaving sadly / Jack Halberstam -- "You is kind, you is smart, you is important" : or, why I can't watch The Help / Brandy Monk-Payton -- Two tables and a ladder : WCGW? / Mel Y. Chen -- TV Trumps / Lynne Joyrich -- The once and future Hillary : why I won't watch a TV miniseries about the 2016 U.S. presidential election / Abigail de Kosnik -- Why we can't take a joke / Raúl Pérez -- The Bridge and unteachable films / Jennifer Malkowski -- Squirming in the classroom : fat girl and the ethical value of extreme discomfort / Katariina Kyrölä -- What is an "unwatchable" film? (with reference to Amour and Still Alice) / E. Ann Kaplan -- Watch at your own peril / Barbara Hammer -- Sects, fries, and videotape / Samuel England -- Off watch / Rebecca Schneider.
Summary:
"We all have images that we find unwatchable, whether for ethical, political, or sensory-affective reasons. From news coverage of terror attacks to viral videos of police brutality, and from graphic horror films to incendiary artworks that provoke mass boycotts, many of the images in our media culture strike as beyond the pale of consumption. Yet what does it mean to proclaim a media object "unwatchable": disturbing, revolting, poor, tedious, or literally inaccessible? Appealing to a broad academic and general readership, Unwatchable offers multidisciplinary approaches to the vast array of troubling images that circulate in our global visual culture, from cinema, television, and video games through museums and classrooms to laptops, smart phones, and social media platforms. This anthology assembles 60 original essays by scholars, theorists, critics, archivists, curators, artists, and filmmakers who offer their own responses to the broadly suggestive question: What do you find unwatchable? The diverse answers include iconoclastic artworks that have been hidden from view, dystopian images from the political sphere, horror movies, TV advertisements, classic films, and recent award-winners"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.