The Aesthetics of Decay: Nothingness, Nostalgia, and the Absence of Reason
Series: New Studies in Aesthetics Vol. 37
Year of Publication: 2006
Peter Lang,New York, Bern, Berlin, Bruxelles, Frankfurt am Main, Oxford, Wien, 2006. 265 pp., 16 ill.
ISBN 0-8204-8646-9 hardback
In The Aesthetics of Decay, Dylan Trigg confronts the remnants from the fallout of post-industrialism and postmodernism. Through a considered analysis of memory, place, and nostalgia, Trigg argues that the decline of reason enables a critique of progress to emerge. In this ambitious work, Trigg aims to reassess the direction of progress by situating it in a spatial context. In doing so, he applies his critique of rationality to modern ruins. The derelict factory, abandoned asylum, and urban alleyway all become allies in Trigg's attack on a fixed image of temporality and progress. The Aesthetics of Decay offers a model of post-rational aesthetics in which spatial order is challenged by an affirmative ethics of ruin.
Reviews
«'The Aesthetics of Decay' challenges the common assumption that progress is rational. With analytical rigor and eloquence of argument, Dylan Trigg's book takes the reader on a journey through metaphysics, psychoanalysis, aesthetics, ethics, theology, and music to suggest the opposite: that the modern ruin redefines progress by embodying decline. A remarkable display of erudition and creativity, and written in an engaging and accessible style, this book is an exceptional foray into intriguing subject matter.» (Sally Macarthur, Senior Lecturer in Musicology, University of Western Sydney; Author of 'Feminist Aesthetics in Music')
http://www.peterlang.com/index.cfm?vID=68646&vLang=E&vHR=1&vUR=2&vUUR
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Dr Alice Gorman
Department of Archaeology
Flinders University
GPO Box 2100 Adelaide 5001
Mobile: 0428 450 418
http://ehlt.flinders.edu.au/archaeology/staff/gorman.php
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