Spectacle

2020

An intertextual book containing three different essays that compare and contrast different views on Olympic wrestling.

Roland Barthes’ “The World of Wrestling” paints a picture of wrestling in the mid twentieth century, while L.A. Jennings’ “The Bloody, Deadly, Heavy Fights of Ancient Greece” takes the reader back in time to Ancient Greek wrestling, and Donald Sayenga’s “The Problem of Wrestling “Styles” in the Modern Olympic Games: A Failure of Olympic Philosophy” finishes the book off with a take on modern wrestling today.

The texts, about a subject matter that some might associate violence and brutality, are contrasted with beautiful, elegant imagery and a soft cream color palette.