Of Bridges

“A fascinating and profound meditation on . . . bridges, and the myriad connections to . . . our creativity and the conundrums of the human condition.” ―Sting, musician

“Always,” wrote Philip Larkin, “it is by bridges that we live.” Bridges represent our aspirations to connect, to soar across divides. And it is the unfinished business of these aspirations that makes bridges such stirring sights, especially when they are marvels of ingenuity.

A rich compendium of myths, superstitions, and literary and ideological figurations, Of Bridges organizes a poetic and philosophical history of bridges into nine thematic clusters. Leaping in lucid prose between distant times and places, Thomas Harrison questions why bridges are built and where they lead. He probes links forged by religion between life’s transience and eternity as well as the consolidating ties of music, illustrated by the case of the blues. He investigates bridges in poetry, as flash points in war, and the megabridges of our globalized world. He illuminates real and symbolic crossings facing migrants each day and the affective connections that make persons and societies cohere. In readings of literature, film, philosophy, and art, Harrison engages in a profound reflection on how bridges form and transform cultural communities. Of Bridges is a mesmerizing, vertiginous tale of bridges both visible and invisible, both lived and imagined.

“Intriguing and accessible. . . . readers [will] think twice before crossing another bridge, whether it is over a highway or waterway or simply connects what one makes in one's mind.” ―Choice

“Keenly erudite, imaginative, interdisciplinary, and lyrical . . . a monumental piece of scholarship.” ―Timothy Campbell, Cornell University

“A tour de force in multidisciplinary cultural history.” ―Daniela Bini, University of Texas at Austin