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1、CITYCULTURESSeeingManhattanfromthe110thflooroftheWorldTradeCenter.Beneaththehazestirredupbythewinds,theurbanisland,aseainthemiddleofthesea,liftsuptheskyscrapersoverWallStreet,sinksdownatGreenwich,thenrisesagaintothecrestofMidtown,quietlypassesoverCentralParkandfinallyundulatesoffint
2、othedistancebeyondHarlem.Awaveofverticals.Itsagitationismomentarilyarrestedbyvision.Agiganticmassisimmobilizedbeforeoureyes.(deCerteau1988:91)Whobuiltit?Anon,that'swho.NobodybuilttheNewYorkskyline.Nobodybythethousands.(HeleneHanff,AppleofMyEye,1984:35)Introduction:acityimaginedOn11S
3、eptember2001,graphicimagesofthedestructionoftwooftheworld'stallestbuildings-thenorthandsouthtowersoftheWorldTradeCenterinNewYorkCity-unfoldedontelevisionsetsaroundtheworld.Theenormityandcomplexityofthistragedy,whilemanifest,were,nevertheless,compoundedbythefactthatmostpeoplewitnesse
4、ditasamediaspectacle.Thus,itwaswithinestablishedmediainterpretativeframes(includingtheplotsandimagesofcountlessHollywoodmovies)thattheirinitialreactionswereformed.ButtheninmanyrespectsNewYorkisamediaconstruction-theskylineofManhattanisinstantlyandgloballyfamiliareventhoughthemajorit
5、yoftheworld'spopulationhasneverbeenthereandwillnevergo.Indeed,ManhattanemergedasalandscapeoftowersatthesametimeasfilmtechnologyandthemovieindustryweredevelopingintheUnitedStates.ItwaslargelyasaresultofthiscoincidencethattheManhattanbackdropbecameoneofthemostsignificantanddefiningima
6、gesnotjustofarchitecturalmodernism,butalsoofthevaluesandachievementsofthetwentiethcentury.ManhattanequalsNeiyYorkandNewYorkisperhapstheworld'sgreatestcity.Itwaswithinthissetofimaginingsthatintheearly1970sthe'twintowers'assumedtheirplacebothaspotentsymbolsoflatemodernityandtestimonie
7、stotheglobaleconomicpowerofNewYorkandtheUnitedStates.Rising411metresabovegroundlevel,thetowersdominatedthecity'sskylineandprovidedsomeofthemostsought-afterpostcardviewsandestablishingshotsofNewYork.Thedestructionofthetowers,therefore,wasconsiderablymorethanapersonalorlocaltragedy.It
8、wasimbuedwitharange