The present work is about urbanism and about how it is typifying the turn-of-the-century American way of life.
The first chapter of this term paper contains a plot synopsis on the novel Strong Motion by Jonathan Franzen depicting the main characters. The second chapter is about Post-modernism. It describes what the term means in fact. A main feature of our post-modern times are cities or urban regions. In the second chapter you will find an interpretation of their meaning and importance in relation to Post-modernism. After this rather general insight in the present urban spirit of the age I will proceed by pointing out passages from the novel Strong Motion that document facts about urbanism and Post-modernism, about certain features of Boston, the Boston area and about the way people live in these places. The topics are going to be gentrification, the quaternary sector, the widening gap between rich and poor, fast occurring changes, heterogeneity and cars. The conclusion will give an outlook on what we may have to expect in the future from urban regions in a globalized world.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- INTRODUCTION
- PLOT SYNOPSIS
- URBANISM AND POST-MODERNISM – DEFINING OUR TIMES
- Defining Post-modernism
- Urbanism during Post-modernism
- LIFE IN THE CONTEMPORARY BOSTON AREA AS OUTLINED IN THE NOVEL STRONG MOTION
- Gentrification and Decentralization
- Cognitariat, Paraclass and the Quaternary Sector
- The Widening Gap Between Rich and Poor
- Fast Changes and Heterogeneity of Urban Population
- The Significance of Cars
- CONCLUSION
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
The present work focuses on urbanism and its significance in shaping the American way of life at the turn of the century. The main objective is to analyze the impact of post-modernism on urban development, using the novel Strong Motion by Jonathan Franzen as a case study.
- Post-modernism and its influence on urban development
- The evolution of urban spaces and their relationship to globalization
- Gentrification and its impact on urban communities
- The changing social and economic landscape of contemporary cities
- The role of transportation and technology in shaping urban life
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The first chapter provides a plot synopsis of the novel Strong Motion, introducing the main characters and their relationships. The second chapter delves into the concept of post-modernism and its various phases, highlighting the influence of global events on urban life.
The third chapter examines the urban landscape of Boston as depicted in the novel, analyzing the effects of gentrification, the rise of the quaternary sector, and the growing gap between rich and poor. It also explores the impact of rapid change and the diverse nature of the urban population.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The central keywords of this work include urbanism, post-modernism, gentrification, globalization, urban development, contemporary cities, and the quaternary sector. The analysis explores these themes through the lens of the novel Strong Motion and its portrayal of the urban experience in Boston.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is urbanism portrayed in Jonathan Franzen's "Strong Motion"?
The novel uses the Boston area to illustrate the complexities of late 20th-century urban life, focusing on themes like gentrification, social stratification, and rapid environmental change.
What is Post-modernism in an urban context?
Post-modern urbanism is characterized by heterogeneity, the rise of the quaternary (service/knowledge) sector, and a move away from centralized industrial structures toward decentralized, fragmented spaces.
What is gentrification?
Gentrification is the process where middle- and upper-class residents move into working-class urban neighborhoods, leading to rising property values and the displacement of original residents.
What role do cars play in the novel's urban setting?
Cars are depicted as a significant feature of the American way of life, symbolizing both individual mobility and the environmental/social costs of urban sprawl.
What is the "quaternary sector"?
It refers to the knowledge-based part of the economy, including services like information technology, research, and high-level management, which dominates post-modern cities like Boston.
- Citar trabajo
- Christiana Halsdorfer (Autor), 2008, Urbanism Typifying the Turn-of-the-Century American Way of Life in Franzen's "Strong Motion", Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/146951
