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An Archaeology of American Urban Modernity, 1819-1919
University Of Chicago Press
February 2010
On Sale: February 1, 2010
397 pages
ISBN: 0226946649
EAN: 9780226946641
Paperback
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Non-Fiction
American ruins have become increasingly prominent, whether in discussions of βurban blightβ and home foreclosures, in commemorations of 9/11, or in postapocalyptic movies. In this highly original book, Nick Yablon argues that the association between American cities and ruins dates back to a much earlier period in the nationβs history. Recovering numerous scenes of urban desolationβfrom failed banks, abandoned towns, and dilapidated tenements to the crumbling skyscrapers and bridges envisioned in science fiction and cartoonsβUntimely Ruins challenges the myth that ruins were absent or insignificant objects in nineteenth-century America. The first book to document an American cult of the ruin, Untimely Ruins traces its deviations as well as derivations from European conventions. Unlike classical and Gothic ruins, which decayed gracefully over centuries and inspired philosophical meditations about the fate of civilizations, Americaβs ruins were often βuntimely,β appearing unpredictably and disappearing before they could accrue an aura of age. As modern ruins of steel and iron, they stimulated critical reflections about contemporary cities, and the unfamiliar kinds of experience they enabled. Unearthing evocative sources everywhere from the archives of amateur photographers to the contents of time-capsules, Untimely Ruins exposes crucial debates about the economic, technological, and cultural transformations known as urban modernity. The result is a fascinating cultural history that uncovers fresh perspectives on the American city.
 Media BuzzMarketplace - PRI - April 15, 2010
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