Postcards highlight the most invigorating, awesome and memorable aspects of events and places. They serve as mementos to be shared or as a testament to experience, proof that "I was here." While postcards were most widely used at the turn of the 20th century, they are quickly being outmoded by the immediacy of technology. Thanks to digital photography and the world wide web, sharing memories is something that happens almost as quickly as the original event is experienced. The history and function of postcards are not the topics that I will address in this essay. Rather, I will look at how geography and experience influence the formation of memories and illustrate how postcards, in highlighting the most mundane and forgettable aspects of place, can act as a mnemonic device. I will also touch on ideas of the simulacra to explore how the simulation of an event or object can be truer or at least more authentic than the original.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:vcu.edu/oai:scholarscompass.vcu.edu:etd-2360 |
| Date | 01 January 2006 |
| Creators | Cote, Derek |
| Publisher | VCU Scholars Compass |
| Source Sets | Virginia Commonwealth University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | © The Author |
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