About the book
Through the mid-nineteenth century, the US whaling industry helped drive industrialization and urbanization, providing whale oil to lubricate and illuminate the country. The Pennsylvania petroleum boom of the 1860s brought cheap and plentiful petroleum into the market, decimating whale oil’s popularity. Here, from our modern age of fossil fuels, Jamie L. Jones uses literary and cultural history to show how the whaling industry held firm in US popular culture even as it slid into obsolescence. Jones shows just how instrumental whaling was to the very idea of “energy” in American culture and how it came to mean a fusion of labor, production, and the circulation of power. She argues that dying industries exert real force on environmental perceptions and cultural imaginations.
Analyzing a vast archive that includes novels, periodicals, artifacts from whaling ships, tourist attractions, and even whale carcasses, Jones explores the histories of race, labor, and energy consumption in the nineteenth-century United States through the lens of the whaling industry’s legacy. In terms of how they view power, Americans are, she argues, still living in the shadow of the whale.
Editions of Rendered Obsolete
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9781469674810
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781469674827
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469674841
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469674834
- EBook
- ISBN 9798890860026
- PDF
- ISBN 9798890860019
Read an Excerpt
Through the mid-nineteenth century, the US whaling industry helped drive industrialization and urbanization, providing whale oil to lubricate and illuminate the country. The Pennsylvania petroleum boom of the 1860s brought cheap and plentiful petroleum into the market, decimating whale oil’s popularity. Here, from our modern age of fossil fuels, Jamie L. Jones uses literary and cultural history to show how the whaling industry held firm in US popular culture even as it slid into obsolescence. Jones shows just how instrumental whaling was to the very idea of “energy” in American culture and how it came to mean a fusion of labor, production, and the circulation of power. She argues that dying industries exert real force on environmental perceptions and cultural imaginations.
Analyzing a vast archive that includes novels, periodicals, artifacts from whaling ships, tourist attractions, and even whale carcasses, Jones explores the histories of race, labor, and energy consumption in the nineteenth-century United States through the lens of the whaling industry’s legacy. In terms of how they view power, Americans are, she argues, still living in the shadow of the whale.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Rendered Obsolete about?
Through the mid-nineteenth century, the US whaling industry helped drive industrialization and urbanization, providing whale oil to lubricate and illuminate the country. The Pennsylvania petroleum boom of the 1860s brought cheap and plentiful petroleum into the market, decimating whale oil’s popularity. Here, from our modern age of fossil fuels, Jamie L. Jones uses literary and cultural history to show how the whaling industry held firm in US popular culture even as it slid into obsolescence. Jones shows just how instrumental whaling was to the very idea of “energy” in American culture and how it came to mean a fusion of labor, production, and the circulation of power. She argues that dying industries exert real force on environmental perceptions and cultural imaginations.
Analyzing a vast archive that includes novels, periodicals, artifacts from whaling ships, tourist attractions, and even whale carcasses, Jones explores the histories of race, labor, and energy consumption in the nineteenth-century United States through the lens of the whaling industry’s legacy. In terms of how they view power, Americans are, she argues, still living in the shadow of the whale.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Rendered Obsolete?
Biography, Literature and Literary studies > Literature: history and criticism
Where can I read a sample of Rendered Obsolete?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781469674810
How long is Rendered Obsolete and how many pages does it have?
Rendered Obsolete has 262 page(s)
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Rendered Obsolete?
Jamie L. Jones
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Rendered Obsolete is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781469674810) and paperback(ISBN 9781469674827) and ebook(ISBN 9781469674841) and ebook(ISBN 9781469674834) and ebook(ISBN 9798890860026) and pdf(ISBN 9798890860019)
Where can I buy Rendered Obsolete online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Rendered Obsolete from below
Where can I buy Rendered Obsolete?