Empire of ruins American culture, photography, and the spectacle of destruction
'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 argumen...
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| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
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New York, NY
Oxford University Press
2021, 2021
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| Series: | Oxford scholarship online / Oxford scholarship online
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| Collection: | Oxford University Press - Collection details see MPG.ReNa |
| 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 |
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| Item Description: | Also issued in print: 2021 |
| Physical Description: | 280 pages illustrations (black and white, and colour) |
| ISBN: | 9780197523285 |