The Art of Un-Making: Nagasaki, Eniwetok, Mururoa, and J.G. Ballard
This paper analyzes one kind of Ballardian landscape, wastelands created by nuclear explosions, and aims at interpreting them as a study of the un-making of the human-made world. Cityscapes of ruins, crumbling concrete concourses and parking lots, abandoned barracks and military stations, radiation...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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De Gruyter
2019-01-01
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| Series: | Open Cultural Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1515/culture-2019-0049 |
| _version_ | 1819027379538886656 |
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| author | Oramus Dominika |
| author_facet | Oramus Dominika |
| author_sort | Oramus Dominika |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper analyzes one kind of Ballardian landscape, wastelands created by nuclear explosions, and aims at interpreting them as a study of the un-making of the human-made world. Cityscapes of ruins, crumbling concrete concourses and parking lots, abandoned barracks and military stations, radiation and mutations make Nagasaki, Eniwetok and Mururoa wasteland snap-shots of the future. In the minds of the protagonists, the un-made landscape is strangely soothing; they are attracted by the post-nuclear imagery and gladly embrace the upcoming catastrophe. Nagasaki, Eniwetok and Mururoa are the harbingers of a future where one can experience the nirvana of non-being. In this paper, I discuss the Ballardian un-making of the world and, hopefully, point to the subliminal meaning of atomic explosions in his works. To do this, I first discuss the references to the atomic bomb in Ballard's non-fiction (A User's Guide to the Millennium, J.G.Ballard Conversations). Then, I isolate and describe the subsequent stages of the un-making of the world using his depictions of Nagasaki (Empire of the Sun, The Atrocity Exhibition); Eniwetok (The Atrocity Exhibition, The Terminal Beach), and Mururoa (Rushing to Paradise). Finally, I suggest a hypothesis explaining the subliminal meaning of nuclear bombs with reference to Freud's theories. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T05:41:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3602474183134cb081a51f4843afc6ec |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2451-3474 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T05:41:32Z |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | De Gruyter |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Open Cultural Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-3602474183134cb081a51f4843afc6ec2022-12-21T19:14:14ZengDe GruyterOpen Cultural Studies2451-34742019-01-013155356210.1515/culture-2019-0049culture-2019-0049The Art of Un-Making: Nagasaki, Eniwetok, Mururoa, and J.G. BallardOramus Dominika0University of Warsaw, Institute of English Studies, 69 Hoża Street, 00-681WarsawThis paper analyzes one kind of Ballardian landscape, wastelands created by nuclear explosions, and aims at interpreting them as a study of the un-making of the human-made world. Cityscapes of ruins, crumbling concrete concourses and parking lots, abandoned barracks and military stations, radiation and mutations make Nagasaki, Eniwetok and Mururoa wasteland snap-shots of the future. In the minds of the protagonists, the un-made landscape is strangely soothing; they are attracted by the post-nuclear imagery and gladly embrace the upcoming catastrophe. Nagasaki, Eniwetok and Mururoa are the harbingers of a future where one can experience the nirvana of non-being. In this paper, I discuss the Ballardian un-making of the world and, hopefully, point to the subliminal meaning of atomic explosions in his works. To do this, I first discuss the references to the atomic bomb in Ballard's non-fiction (A User's Guide to the Millennium, J.G.Ballard Conversations). Then, I isolate and describe the subsequent stages of the un-making of the world using his depictions of Nagasaki (Empire of the Sun, The Atrocity Exhibition); Eniwetok (The Atrocity Exhibition, The Terminal Beach), and Mururoa (Rushing to Paradise). Finally, I suggest a hypothesis explaining the subliminal meaning of nuclear bombs with reference to Freud's theories.https://doi.org/10.1515/culture-2019-0049nuclear explosionswastelandsnagasaki |
| spellingShingle | Oramus Dominika The Art of Un-Making: Nagasaki, Eniwetok, Mururoa, and J.G. Ballard Open Cultural Studies nuclear explosions wastelands nagasaki |
| title | The Art of Un-Making: Nagasaki, Eniwetok, Mururoa, and J.G. Ballard |
| title_full | The Art of Un-Making: Nagasaki, Eniwetok, Mururoa, and J.G. Ballard |
| title_fullStr | The Art of Un-Making: Nagasaki, Eniwetok, Mururoa, and J.G. Ballard |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Art of Un-Making: Nagasaki, Eniwetok, Mururoa, and J.G. Ballard |
| title_short | The Art of Un-Making: Nagasaki, Eniwetok, Mururoa, and J.G. Ballard |
| title_sort | art of un making nagasaki eniwetok mururoa and j g ballard |
| topic | nuclear explosions wastelands nagasaki |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1515/culture-2019-0049 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT oramusdominika theartofunmakingnagasakieniwetokmururoaandjgballard AT oramusdominika artofunmakingnagasakieniwetokmururoaandjgballard |