rediscovery-of-wonder

The idea that modern life suffers not from a lack of wonders but from a loss of the capacity to feel wonder at the familiar.

1 chapter across 1 book

Pandaemonium: The Coming of the Machine as Seen by Contemporary Observers 1660-1886 (1985)Humphrey Jennings

1. The World is not perishing from lack of wonders, it is perishing from lack of wonder (G.K. Chesterton)

This chapter reflects on the importance of rediscovering wonder in the familiar, using Humphrey Jennings' Pandæmonium as a lens to reimagine industrial landscapes and histories as sites of excitement and transformation. It connects personal memory and local history to broader narratives of energy, industry, and cultural symbolism, exemplified by the Olympic Cauldron's design inspired by coal's stored sunlight and the motto of St Helens. The chapter also emphasizes the ongoing relevance of industrial revolution stories globally, highlighting their presence in contemporary and future contexts beyond British history.