By the Waters of Babylon

Benét, Stephen Vincent. "By the Waters of Babylon" (vt "The Place of the Gods"). Saturday Evening Post July 1937. Frequently rpt., including Cities of Wonder, q.v. under Anthologies and Collections; see Contento Index for other rpts.

Long after the "Great Burning," a young priest goes to one of the "Dead Places," a "great Place of the Gods," which turns out to be what's left of New York (Cities of Wonder 224). What was to become a cliché as the century wore on, in "BWB" is a beautiful presentation of a double-vision of technology as both dangerous and desirable, with rebuilding the city a worthy human task. Cf. MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME (listed under Drama).[