Notes on Camp Borrowed heavily from Susan Sontag’s article, “Notes on ‘Camp’” from Against Interpretation (1966)

What is Camp? Camp is a sensibility: it’s the love of the unnatural, the artifice, the exaggerated, the esoteric.

Camp is an aesthetic Camp is an aesthetic and a way of viewing a very stylized version of the world.

Camp exaggerates Camp is intentionally exaggerated thematic or genre elements, especially in television and motion picture mediums. “Camp” style over-emphasizes certain elements of the genre or theme on purpose to create become self-satirical.

Camp is not natural All camp is man-made (nothing natural is campy) and sees everything in quotation marks. It’s not a woman, it’s a “woman.”

Camp is “too much” Camp is art that proposes itself seriously, but cannot be taken seriously because it’s over the top.

Camp is kitsch

Camp is vulgar Who decides what’s “vulgar”?

Camp changes with time Time disconnects the work from moral relevance – time contracts the sphere of banality. (Common becomes fantastic with time since we can see the failure of the attempt.)

How does bad become camp? If something is campy it is obviously intended to be strange or shocking and seems to be ridiculing itself.

Who gets to decide what is or is not camp? “A work can come close to Camp, but not make it, because it succeeds.”

“The pure examples of Camp are unintentional; they are dead serious “The pure examples of Camp are unintentional; they are dead serious. … Genuine Camp… does not mean to be funny.” (Packet, 240) But isn’t it mean to call these folks ‘Campy?’

Is it camp if it never took itself seriously? Camp? Let’s Decide.

Camp?

Camp?

Camp?

Camp?

Where does camp and humor intersect? Find examples!