Authors note: this is the first in a series of
articles that weigh how different eras of themed entertainment have been
influenced by their historical context. In Theme Park, Lukas (2008) asks a
question of central importance to the study of the history of the modern theme
park: how does the creation of the artificial reflect the society that creates
it? Lukas posits that “we must understand the trajectory of the theme park in
the form of historical whispers, thematic shouts in the night and rhizomatic
influences of direction and misdirection” (23). In agreement with Lukas’s
thesis, these articles will attempt to piece apart different examples of how
themed entertainment has illustrated greater societal trends, aspirations, and
concerns.
The nineteenth-century saw pervasive
societal change in Western and Central Europe as a massive wave of
industrialization transformed the continent’s urban centers and power
structures. The dominance of Smithian economics at the turn of the century
contributed to a new industrial order defined by laissez-faire policies, the
division of labor, and mass production. These forces combined with many others
to form commodity culture, defined by Marxist political theory as the
widespread assignment of economic value to objects previous void of economic
meaning. This commodification had effects on the quality of life for the
citizens of urban Europe but also on the structures that defined their life,
including recreation. This is the topic that Susan Ingram focuses on throughout
her three contributions to the collection Placing
History: Themed Environments, Urban Consumption and the Public Entertainment
Sphere.
