ABSTRACT
This chapter is part of an experiment to determine the nature of the Los Angeles River. Twofold in its approach, the experiment combines fieldwork on the current conditions of an urban waterway with interpretive study of textual representations of rivers. This area of inquiry – “textual potamology” – explores the cultural history of the river to imagine new ways of understanding its nature. The chapter weaves together a study of select fictional representations of the Los Angeles River with photographs, discursive description, and reflections on the lower portion of the river, from its mouth in Long Beach to Chinatown.
T.S. McMillin PhD is Professor of English at Oberlin College and Conservatory, Ohio, USA.
