Ways of Reading : Words and Images

Our culture is becoming increasingly saturated with images, and the study of visual culture is of growing interest in the academy since it offers insights into the way that reality is constructed and represented. Yet it is often a highly theoretical field in which the readings are famously difficult. This distinctive new book adapts the proven methodology of Ways of Reading and combines four of its readings with four new ones to allow students to work productively with the complexities of visual representation. Photographs in the text include film stills, family portraits, snapshots, and classic images by photographers such as Walker Evans, Jacob Riis, and Dorothea Lange. By integrating critical reading, visual analysis, and writing with a unique selection of readings and editorial features, Ways of Reading Words and Images teaches students to see critically and write analytically while engaging with some of the most powerful voices and images of our culture. Students benefit because the challenges of the book are amply rewarded; many writing assignments ask them to perform the same kinds of tasks that the authors of these theoretical pieces perform. It is an approach that particularly complements the interests of teaching assistants and new Ph.D.s, since instructors work with pieces they themselves find intellectually engaging.