Glimpses of Phoenix

The Desert Metropolis in Written and Visual Media

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Popular Culture, History, Americas, United States
Cover of the book Glimpses of Phoenix by David William Foster, McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: David William Foster ISBN: 9781476602219
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Publication: April 19, 2013
Imprint: Language: English
Author: David William Foster
ISBN: 9781476602219
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication: April 19, 2013
Imprint:
Language: English

Part of the self-image of Phoenix is that the city has no history and that anything of importance happened yesterday. Also that Phoenix, the Arizona state capital, is a “clean” city (despite a past of police corruption and social oppression). The “real” Phoenix, easygoing, sun-drenched, a place of ever-expanding development and economic growth, guarantees, it is said, an enviable lifestyle, low taxes, and unfettered personal freedom and opportunity. Little of this is true. Phoenix has been described as one of the least sustainable cities in the country. This sixth largest urban area of the United States has an alarmingly superficial and tourism-oriented discourse among its leaders. This book examines a series of narrative works (novels, theater, chronicles, investigative reporting, personal accounts, editorial cartooning, even a children’s television program) that question this discourse in a frequently stinging fashion. The works examined are anchored in a critical understanding of the dominant urban myths of Greater Phoenix, and an awareness of how all the newness, modernity and fun-in-the-sun mentality mask a uniquely dystopian human experience.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Part of the self-image of Phoenix is that the city has no history and that anything of importance happened yesterday. Also that Phoenix, the Arizona state capital, is a “clean” city (despite a past of police corruption and social oppression). The “real” Phoenix, easygoing, sun-drenched, a place of ever-expanding development and economic growth, guarantees, it is said, an enviable lifestyle, low taxes, and unfettered personal freedom and opportunity. Little of this is true. Phoenix has been described as one of the least sustainable cities in the country. This sixth largest urban area of the United States has an alarmingly superficial and tourism-oriented discourse among its leaders. This book examines a series of narrative works (novels, theater, chronicles, investigative reporting, personal accounts, editorial cartooning, even a children’s television program) that question this discourse in a frequently stinging fashion. The works examined are anchored in a critical understanding of the dominant urban myths of Greater Phoenix, and an awareness of how all the newness, modernity and fun-in-the-sun mentality mask a uniquely dystopian human experience.

More books from McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers

Cover of the book The Baseball Starter by David William Foster
Cover of the book Postcolonial Theory in the Global Age by David William Foster
Cover of the book The Business of Science Fiction by David William Foster
Cover of the book Medals for Soldiers and Airmen by David William Foster
Cover of the book Space Sirens, Scientists and Princesses by David William Foster
Cover of the book Tim Burton by David William Foster
Cover of the book Don Drummond by David William Foster
Cover of the book War in Aquarius by David William Foster
Cover of the book The Five Sedgwicks by David William Foster
Cover of the book Hal Trosky by David William Foster
Cover of the book Encyclopedia of Television Shows by David William Foster
Cover of the book The Chivalric Romance and the Essence of Fiction by David William Foster
Cover of the book Britain and the Wars in Vietnam by David William Foster
Cover of the book The United States and the Armed Forces of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, 2000-2014 by David William Foster
Cover of the book Patrick O'Brian's Bodies at Sea by David William Foster
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy