Empire of ruins : American culture, photography, and the spectacle of destruction / Miles Orvell.
2021
NX650.R84 O78 2021
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Details
Title
Empire of ruins : American culture, photography, and the spectacle of destruction / Miles Orvell.
Author
ISBN
9780197523285 (electronic book)
Published
New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2021.
Language
English
Description
1 online resource (280 pages) : illustrations.
Call Number
NX650.R84 O78 2021
Dewey Decimal Classification
720
Summary
'Empire of Ruins' explores the meaning of ruins in American culture, from the mid-nineteenth century to the twenty-first century, arguing that photographs have been the chief means by which the significance of ruins has been created in American culture. The book traces a historical argument that begins in the nineteenth century, when Americans yearned for the ruins of Europe, then moves to the discovery of Native American ruins in the Southwest. Later chapters explore the visualization of inner city ruins, abandoned factories, and shopping malls, and the 'creative destruction' of buildings in order to make way for bigger ones.
Note
'Empire of Ruins' explores the meaning of ruins in American culture, from the mid-nineteenth century to the twenty-first century, arguing that photographs have been the chief means by which the significance of ruins has been created in American culture. The book traces a historical argument that begins in the nineteenth century, when Americans yearned for the ruins of Europe, then moves to the discovery of Native American ruins in the Southwest. Later chapters explore the visualization of inner city ruins, abandoned factories, and shopping malls, and the 'creative destruction' of buildings in order to make way for bigger ones.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Access Note
Access limited to authorized users.
Source of Description
Description based on online resource; title from home page (viewed on January 8, 2021).
Series
Oxford scholarship online.
Available in Other Form
Print version: 9780190491604
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