what is the best way to approach it? it seems really interesting but I got confused pretty quick reading it. tried to get quick grasp on it with videos but most were shit. I think there was a same-titled movie as well?? if so, is it any good?
I hope that this is the right community to ask this question
Have you tried dropping by the store? I’m sure they’d be happy to help
Sure!
Okay, so don’t start with SotS. The Situationist International did a lot of other writing that covers similar ideas and being familiar with those will help you parse SotS. It’ll also be a fun read.
https://www.bopsecrets.org/SI/index.htm
Then, make sure you’re reading the Knabb translation and not the Perlman translation. It’s better annotated, so you can know when you’ve come up against a cheeky hegel reference or something. He also suggests an alternate chapter order that starts with easier chapters.
Also, don’t be afraid the skip stuff or just let things wash over you. If there’s a part you don’t get, just treat it as a Koan an let it wash over you.
Finally, you can’t really understand it until you’ve collaged ads into councilist propaganda or taken mushrooms and wandered through the city without a destination.
the texts in the link feel like a treasure trove, thank you! already found some cool stuff there that’s made me ponder. thanks for the advice as well!
wandering through the city on mushies sounds kind of scary hahah, did that with a friend once though when I responded better to psychs
If you can find a copy of the film, watch it after reading the book. The film shows you visually what the text attempts to capture in writing. Once you understand the whole concept, you’ll no doubt start asking yourself questions like, “what exactly am I doing on the Internet?” Life now is pretty much being spectator and spectated at the same time, now, which the good ol’ Guy probably foresaw, given the nice interaction between the book and the film.
duly noted, thank you! I’ll check out the Situationist writings Nagarjuna pointed out, then the book and lastly the film.
I kind of feel like I’ve been asking that question myself for a long time now, hopefully I can go deeper with it actually get some answers from myself lol
Surprised no one mentioned it, but he did come out almost immediately with Comments on Society of the Spectacle which is more structured and less a collection of theses.
I mean, if you’re reading situationalist literature in the 21st century you’re gonna have to be prepared for that.
awesome, thank you so much! this will really nicely complement the Situationist writings + the book&film. it sounds like it’s a bit more accessible in that case, based on your description :)
