The Necessity for Ruins and Other Topics

by J.B. Jackson

Essays examine the way we perceive landscape, the effect of gardens and cities of the past on the landscapes of the present, and the way American architecture has broken with tradition. Discussion relates the importance of space to relativism throughout time.

Genres: Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Geography, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Essays, Art

129 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1980

About the author

John Brinckerhoff "Brinck" Jackson, J. B. Jackson, (September 25, 1909, Dinard, France - August 28, 1996, La Cienega, NM) was a writer, publisher, instructor, and sketch artist in landscape design. Herbert Muschamp, New York Times architecture critic, stated that J. B. Jackson was “America’s greatest living writer on the forces that have shaped the land this nation occupies.” He was influential in broadening the perspective on the “vernacular” landscape.

Reviews

[Linley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise, well-written essays that make you stop and think about how the quotidian aspects of the modern landscape, like the layout of streets and the placement of garages, came to be.

[Catalina Billeke · Rating 4 out of 5]

En nueve ensayos, J.B. Jackson revela la profundidad de los paisajes cotidianos, desde jardines hasta ruinas, mostrándolos como espejos de nuestra cultura y significado. La traducción de Romy Hecht y Danilo Martic es precisa y valiosa. Un libro indispensable para quienes disfrutan pensar el paisaje más allá de lo visible.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jackson's book is a collection of essays about geography, especially the man-made geography of gardens and streets. His discussion of the sacred grove, camp meeting sites in the woods, relates the rise in importance of sacred time over sacred space in Protestant revivalism. Now is the time of the salvation, it might happen anywhere. The end result is an individualizing and privatizing of faith (still a problem with evangelical Protestants today).

His discussion in the essay, "The Necessity for Ruins," is even more thought provoking (especially to one who recently enjoyed a visit to Old Sturbridge Village). He describes the 19th century historical change of monuments from means "to remind us of our obligations, religious or political, and to keep us on the beaten path, loyal to tradition" to celebrations of "a vernacular past, a golden age ... history as a chronicle of everyday existence." The first finds the present linked to the past by a contract and so sees the present as a continuation of the past and via the re-enactment of the past "the community is reminded of its original identity and its ancient pledges." The other, newer vision revels in "The Old Days" as a period with "an innocence and a simplicity that we have since lost" but at least can visit at our convenience and when we feel up to consuming it (at places like Colonial Williamsburg, Old Sturbridge Village, or the Gettysburg battlefield). "A kind of historical, theatrical make-believe is becoming increasingly popular... places where we can briefly relive the golden age and be purged of historical guilt. The past is brought back in all its richness. There is no lesson to learn, no covenant to honor; we are charmed into a state of innocence and become part of the environment. History ceases to exist." What is the purpose of history and how do we remember it? Does it teach us information or does it teach us something more substantial?

[Mia DiLorenzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real page turner (read it the day before my midterm) that kept me on the edge of my seat (actually a damn good book).

[Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

My relationship with the work of John Brinckerhoff Jackson goes back many years, probably to when I first saw a copy of "Landscape Magazine." His essays are eye-opening and his observation skills taught me to see and notice things I had never really seen before, and make insightful connections from those observations These essays in this small paperback cover a wide range of topics from gardens to groves, from streets to tent meetings. The title article is one of the best. I have one copy of an old issue of Landscape and I occasionally dig it out and look at it reverently. It was a great magazine.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking existentialist essays that are broader in sweep than landscape; really this is a primer on "how to see" the hidden history and values of everyday environments. I would especially recommend the essays 'Nearer than Eden' for the history of gardens, 'The Necessity for Ruins' for a better perspective on what ruins indicate, and 'The Domestication of the Garage' for the role of sexuality and work in the home.

[Doris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A series of short essays by, in my opinion, the most profound landscape architect of all time. Jackson had an ability to remove arrogance from his understanding of human interaction with land. He truly saw people as an integral part of nature.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic read, great for ruminating on the role of ruins. What is their purpose and how do they enrich our landscape? I enjoy the argument that their presence illustrates the geography of mankind (man-made geography). Viva l'histoire!

[dv · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raccolta di saggi multiforme, in grado di esplorare elementi legati alla lettura e all'abitazione del territorio per niente banali.