Professor Carl Rollyson of Journalism at Baruch College of City University
of New York is well known by Chinese scholars of foreign literatures for his
unremitting research on American writer Susan Sontag. Professor Carl Rollyson
recommended his ac-ademic website to the author of this essay and provided two important
information: Pay attention to the visual art turn of interna-tional Susan Sontag
research and pay attention to the relationship between the vigorous development of the
theories and practices of “life writing” and the international studies of Susan Sontag.
This reminder of Professor Carl Rollyson coincides with the academic sensitivity of the
author who stood in the dialogue between Susan Sontag and American photographer
Anne Leibowitz many years ago. The application of aburgeoning “life writing”
mentioned by Professor Carl Rollyson is so called “biographical writing in pro-gress”.
He believes that “life writing” conforms to the biographical trend of “autobiographical
authenticity” and overlaps with the bur-geoning “non fictional narrative” in literary
genre. In literary con-cept, “life writing” attaches importance to “constructing the
identi-ty of the author in the process of writing life experiences”. The au-thor observes that the trend of biographical literature of “life narra-tive” personally experienced
by Professor Carl Rollyson echoes the theoretical change of “life narrative” turn
of international post clas-sical narratology. Susan Sontag’s creative career not only
provides the best example for the interpretation of “life writing”, but also promotes
life writing to a more idealistic color around the evolu-tion of philosophy / body
consciousness of love / pornography. The uniqueness of her love / pornography life
writing paradigm de-serves further study.