The Written Suburb An American Site, An Ethnographic Dilemma John D.
Dorst "A wonderful book that . . . is shrewd and often quite funny . . .
[and] employs the tools of an anthropologist to explain the strange
folkways of late 20th-century Pennsylvania suburbanites."--Philadelphia
Inquirer "A subversive and postmodern work about the town of Chadds
Ford, Pennsylvania. The book considers Wyeth country--what kind of place
it is and how it is constituted. . . . Dorst asks questions about how
the place represents itself to itself and to tourists."--Lingua Franca
"The Written Suburb contains brilliant analysis of the myth of
tradition and the workings of museums and historical societies. . . .
Dorst's elegant, ironic prose makes his assault on the toxic combination
of commerce and nostalgia sharp and satisfying. Folklorists should read,
argue with, teach, and visit The Written Suburb again and
again."--Journal of American Folklore "The Written Suburb presents a
provocative and important methodological paradox for those
communications scholars who practice or are interested in ethnography. .
. . As a self-conscious post-ethnography, this work is powerful--and
often humorous--both in describing the 'very weirdness' of suburban
America in general and in demonstrating the problems in producing such a
description."--Journal of Communication "The strength of The Written
Suburb lies in Dorst's clear and lucid exposition of the cultural logic
of postmodernity and in his application of the postmodern research
agenda."--American Journal of Sociology Chadds Ford, an upscale suburb
in southeastern Pennsylvania, devotes a lot of energy to creating a
historical identity. Numerous institutions participate in this task,
including museums, a land conservancy dedicated to the preservation of
its historical landscape, and the Historical Society, which is
responsible for an annual community celebration. Larger institutions
related to regional tourism and suburban development generate a steady
flow of texts about Chadds Ford in the form of glossy travel magazines,
pamphlets, brochures, and gallery displays. John D. Dorst is
Professor of American Studies at the University of Wyoming. He is the
author of Looking West, also available from the University of
Pennsylvania Press. Contemporary Ethnography 1989 232 pages 6 x 9 50
illus. ISBN 978-0-8122-1282-2 Paper $24.95s £16.50 World Rights
Anthropology Short copy: "A subversive and postmodern work about the
town of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. The book considers Wyeth
country--what kind of place it is and how it is constituted. . . . Dorst
asks questions about how the place represents itself to itself and to
tourists."--Lingua Franca
