London
October 21st 2006 19:16
There is no London
All the English stereotypes are true, and there seems to be very little behind them. And that is why there is no London -- there is no reality waiting to be found, there is nothing to talk about.
From an Australian perspective, we are already English, London is already with us; it is too familiar; there are no essential surprises.
There is always London
London solidifies into place names, becomes its quotations -- every piece of it set in place, immortalised; it is a city of landmarks. Baker Street, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, the Tower -- you know them from Monopoly, from history, from books, from television. To live in London is to live in the make believe, to dwell in a mythical landscape.
It is reading Shakespeare or the Bible -- books of clichés -- every second line well-worn -- too surrounded, too crowded and talked about, to talk about.
London is a massive soulless museum, inflexibly past-tense.
There are too many Londons
The city is endless, with few skyscrapers -- it sprawls, with countless parts. So many minutiae to examine, nooks and crannies to explore. So many parts to the city, all full of people. So many historical Londons.
The British Museum has too many items -- too much wealth. The department stores have too many accessories. The theatre district is spoiled for quality and choice. The streets have too much food.
There is a sense of crowdedness -- centuries to work out how to use the space, just as, in jungles, there have been centuries for the vegetation to negotiate its boundaries. -- But thought-crowded rather than physically crowded or slumlike.
And the sheer size of the population, like the Internet, gives capacities for niches to form, for niche tastes to be catered to, from swingers parties to knitting clubs. And it is common to hear German, French, Russian, American, and every variety of British accents.
There are always sirens in this city, there is always something happening.
Notes
-- Tuesday 4 November 2008: "Kathy I'm lost, I said, though I knew she was sleeping. I'm empty and aching and I don't know why. Counting the cars on the New Jersey turnpike. They've all gone to look for America. All gone to look for America."
All the English stereotypes are true, and there seems to be very little behind them. And that is why there is no London -- there is no reality waiting to be found, there is nothing to talk about.
From an Australian perspective, we are already English, London is already with us; it is too familiar; there are no essential surprises.
There is always London
London solidifies into place names, becomes its quotations -- every piece of it set in place, immortalised; it is a city of landmarks. Baker Street, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, the Tower -- you know them from Monopoly, from history, from books, from television. To live in London is to live in the make believe, to dwell in a mythical landscape.
It is reading Shakespeare or the Bible -- books of clichés -- every second line well-worn -- too surrounded, too crowded and talked about, to talk about.
London is a massive soulless museum, inflexibly past-tense.
There are too many Londons
The city is endless, with few skyscrapers -- it sprawls, with countless parts. So many minutiae to examine, nooks and crannies to explore. So many parts to the city, all full of people. So many historical Londons.
The British Museum has too many items -- too much wealth. The department stores have too many accessories. The theatre district is spoiled for quality and choice. The streets have too much food.
There is a sense of crowdedness -- centuries to work out how to use the space, just as, in jungles, there have been centuries for the vegetation to negotiate its boundaries. -- But thought-crowded rather than physically crowded or slumlike.
And the sheer size of the population, like the Internet, gives capacities for niches to form, for niche tastes to be catered to, from swingers parties to knitting clubs. And it is common to hear German, French, Russian, American, and every variety of British accents.
There are always sirens in this city, there is always something happening.
***
Notes
-- Tuesday 4 November 2008: "Kathy I'm lost, I said, though I knew she was sleeping. I'm empty and aching and I don't know why. Counting the cars on the New Jersey turnpike. They've all gone to look for America. All gone to look for America."
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Comment by Damo
Were you disapointed in what you saw?
For me cities are such strange things. I've never been to London so I can't judge it.
Howeverf I found Singapore a very sterile disappointment.
Comment by Adrian
Philosophy Blog
For me, cities are strange things also, each like an entity in itself, and each different.
Wasn't particularly disappointed by London. In fact, was impressed enough to want to move there in a couple of years.
Wasn't particularly impressed by Singapore, but wasn't disappointed either.
I think the nature of disappointment is something that deserves a lot more reflection. What is it exactly that makes one disappointed? Is it simply the violation of expectation? What does disappointment achieve? Etc...
Comment by JoshZ
"All Australians like we are (by that she meant, all of us who had a criminal in our history) should go and have a good look at London to see how shit it really is."
She didn't like it.
Comment by Adrian
Philosophy Blog
Thanks for the comment Josh.