Overview

In this luminous collection of essays, Ellen Wayland-Smith probes the raw edges of human existence, those periods of life in which our bodies remind us of our transience and the boundaries of the self dissolve. From the Old Testament to Maggie Nelson, these explorations are grounded in a rich network of associations. In an essay on the postpartum body, Wayland-Smith interweaves her experience as a mother with accounts of phantom limbs and Greek mythology to meditate on moments when pieces of our being exist outside our bodies. In order to comprehend diagnoses of depression and breast cancer, she delves into LA hippie culture's love affair with crystals and Emily Dickinson's geological poetry. Her experience with chemotherapy leads to reflection on Western medicine and its intolerance of death and the healing capacity of nature. And throughout, she challenges the false separation between the human and the 'primeval, animal mode of being'. At once intimate and expansive, The Science of Last Things peels back layers of human thought and behaviour, breaking down our modern conceptions of individuality and reframing us as participants in a world of astounding elegance and mystery. 'Offering a deeply necessary, clear-eyed look at who we are as flesh-and-bone bodies during the climate crisis, this is a book that searches and finds meaning in both the hard truths and the value of wonder.' Ada Limn 'In The Science of Last Things, Ellen Wayland-Smith seamlessly blends the life of the body and the life of the mind, writing less about endings per se (although those, as well) than about evanescence, and the understanding that we all must disappear. That this represents both an individual reckoning and a collective one should go without saying, and these essays range widely in angle and approach, addressing the death of Wayland-Smith's father from pancreatic cancer and her own diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer, as well as broader social and natural histories. The common thread, of course, is the author's sensibility, which comes to us infused with ideas and language, and a rigorous ability to see things not as we wish them to be but, instead, as they are. What I mean is that there is no false solace here, although there are many consolations. The Science of Last Things is an acute and necessary book.' David L. Ulin, author of Sidewalking 'Ellen Wayland-Smith's writing is a magical alchemy of spiritual insight and scientific wonder. She delves into overwhelming mysteries birth and death, the origin of life and the end of the world and miraculously finds new meaning in them, responding to personal and planetary loss and decay with radiant reflections that awaken, delight, and console. These essays are an essential companion for life at the end of the world.' Briallen Hopper, author of Hard to Love: Essays & Confessions

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9781639550968

Table of Contents

Reviews

"Praise for The Science of Last Things""Smart, harrowing, and lyrically powerful, The Science of Last Things celebrates interconnectedness as a way to not just understand how we are made, but how we might come to terms with our own end. Offering a deeply necessary, clear-eyed look at who we are as flesh-and-bone bodies during the climate crisis, this is a book that searches and finds meaning in both the hard truths and the value of wonder."" --Ada Limón, 24th Poet Laureate of the United States""In The Science of Last Things, Ellen Wayland-Smith seamlessly blends the life of the body and the life of the mind, writing less about endings per se (although those, as well) than about evanescence, and the understanding that we all must disappear. That this represents both an individual reckoning and a collective one should go without saying, and these essays range widely in angle and approach, addressing the death of Wayland-Smith's father from pancreatic cancer and her own diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer, as well as broader social and natural histories. The common thread, of course, is the author's sensibility, which comes to us infused with ideas and language, and a rigorous ability to see things not as we wish them to be but, instead, as they are. What I mean is that there is no false solace here, although there are many consolations. The Science of Last Things is an acute and necessary book.""--David L. Ulin, author of Sidewalking""Ellen Wayland-Smith's writing is a magical alchemy of spiritual insight and scientific wonder. She delves into overwhelming mysteries--birth and death, the origin of life and the end of the world--and miraculously finds new meaning in them, responding to personal and planetary loss and decay with radiant reflections that awaken, delight, and console. These essays are an essential companion for life at the end of the world.""--Briallen Hopper, author of Hard to Love: Essays & ConfessionsPraise for Oneida""A lively and often entertaining account. [. . .] In Wayland-Smith's extended chronicle, we see utopia as it sails through the world, assaulted on all sides by the forces of assimilation and greed.""―New Yorker ""Wayland-Smith is a gifted writer. Her lively account of how Oneida eventually succumbed to 'the gods of Science and Doubt' is a welcome change from most 'as told by' family histories.""―New York Times Book Review""Remarkable. [. . .] A detailed, riveting account.""―The Guardian""Lively. [Wayland-Smith's] nuanced and empathetic book vividly captures the spirit of a brief historical moment.""―The Boston Globe""[A] fascinating, beautifully-told history.""―New Republic""An incredible story""―WBUR's Here and Now""An intimate, quirky family portrait""―The Nation""A gimlet-eyed book about Wayland-Smith's family history""―Gawker""Drawing from letters, diaries, newsletters, and family stories, the author, an original-family descendant, adds inside information to this retelling of a radical movement's transformation in the shifting current of American ideals. The narrative is engaging and detailed. This is a must-read for those interested in American social history, and should have broad appeal.""―Booklist (starred)""[An] impressively thorough and engaging work. [. . .] This book is a fascinating look into the strange history of Oneida silverware and how its origins reflect an exhilarating period of American history.""―Publishers Weekly (starred)""This compelling narrative seamlessly threads the unlikely alliance between a 'free love utopia' and a household brand name. Fans of Joseph Ellis and David McCullough will appreciate this engrossing entry.""―Library Journal (starred)""The spotlight Wayland-Smith shines on this remarkable community's beginnings and ending offers a riveting glimpse into the quintessentially American early-19th-century struggle with the rights of the individual and separation of church and state. A smartly contextualized tale of 'the tension between radical social critique and unapologetic accommodation [. . .] between communal harmony and individual striving.'""―Kirkus ReviewsPraise for The Angel in the Marketplace""Wayland-Smith's lively history tells the unusual story of pioneering adwoman Jean Wade Rindlaub, who climbed the ladder from secretary to executive in the mid-twentieth century. Wayland-Smith insightfully shows how Rindlaub touted motherhood, home, love, and Christian service as the cornerstones of the free market and free world, but how late in life she became a campaigner for social justice. The Angel in the Marketplace illuminates one woman's journey from advocating traditional notions of women's place and the benefits of capitalism to questioning the underlying message of the ads she produced.""--Kathy Peiss, author of Hope in a Jar""The Angel in the Marketplace is a deeply researched history of the American advertising industry told through the life of Jean Wade Rindlaub. It is a portrait of a prolific lady and her eye-catching ads that promoted cutlery, makeup, soaps, and cake mixes to Americans. Wayland-Smith captures the synergy between corporate capitalism and Christianity that animated the world of Madison Avenue ad women and men of the twentieth century. This talented writer delivers sharp analysis of consumer culture from colorful stories of 'copy' she has excavated from the archives.""--Michelle Nickerson, author of Mothers of Conservatism"

Praise for The Science of Last Things “Smart, harrowing, and lyrically powerful, The Science of Last Things celebrates interconnectedness as a way to not just understand how we are made, but how we might come to terms with our own end. Offering a deeply necessary, clear-eyed look at who we are as flesh-and-bone bodies during the climate crisis, this is a book that searches and finds meaning in both the hard truths and the value of wonder.” —Ada Limón, 24th Poet Laureate of the United States “In The Science of Last Things, Ellen Wayland-Smith seamlessly blends the life of the body and the life of the mind, writing less about endings per se (although those, as well) than about evanescence, and the understanding that we all must disappear. That this represents both an individual reckoning and a collective one should go without saying, and these essays range widely in angle and approach, addressing the death of Wayland-Smith's father from pancreatic cancer and her own diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer, as well as broader social and natural histories. The common thread, of course, is the author's sensibility, which comes to us infused with ideas and language, and a rigorous ability to see things not as we wish them to be but, instead, as they are. What I mean is that there is no false solace here, although there are many consolations. The Science of Last Things is an acute and necessary book.”—David L. Ulin, author of Sidewalking “Ellen Wayland-Smith’s writing is a magical alchemy of spiritual insight and scientific wonder. She delves into overwhelming mysteries—birth and death, the origin of life and the end of the world—and miraculously finds new meaning in them, responding to personal and planetary loss and decay with radiant reflections that awaken, delight, and console. These essays are an essential companion for life at the end of the world.”—Briallen Hopper, author of Hard to Love: Essays & Confessions Praise for Oneida “A lively and often entertaining account. [. . .] In Wayland-Smith’s extended chronicle, we see utopia as it sails through the world, assaulted on all sides by the forces of assimilation and greed.”―New Yorker  “Wayland-Smith is a gifted writer. Her lively account of how Oneida eventually succumbed to ‘the gods of Science and Doubt’ is a welcome change from most ‘as told by’ family histories.”―New York Times Book Review “Drawing from letters, diaries, newsletters, and family stories, the author, an original-family descendant, adds inside information to this retelling of a radical movement’s transformation in the shifting current of American ideals. The narrative is engaging and detailed. This is a must-read for those interested in American social history, and should have broad appeal.”―Booklist (starred) “[An] impressively thorough and engaging work. [. . .] This book is a fascinating look into the strange history of Oneida silverware and how its origins reflect an exhilarating period of American history.”―Publishers Weekly (starred) “This compelling narrative seamlessly threads the unlikely alliance between a ‘free love utopia’ and a household brand name. Fans of Joseph Ellis and David McCullough will appreciate this engrossing entry.”―Library Journal (starred) “The spotlight Wayland-Smith shines on this remarkable community’s beginnings and ending offers a riveting glimpse into the quintessentially American early-19th-century struggle with the rights of the individual and separation of church and state. A smartly contextualized tale of ‘the tension between radical social critique and unapologetic accommodation [. . .] between communal harmony and individual striving.’”―Kirkus Reviews

Praise for The Science of Last Things “Smart, harrowing, and lyrically powerful, The Science of Last Things celebrates interconnectedness as a way to not just understand how we are made, but how we might come to terms with our own end. Offering a deeply necessary, clear-eyed look at who we are as flesh-and-bone bodies during the climate crisis, this is a book that searches and finds meaning in both the hard truths and the value of wonder.” —Ada Limón, 24th Poet Laureate of the United States “In The Science of Last Things, Ellen Wayland-Smith seamlessly blends the life of the body and the life of the mind, writing less about endings per se (although those, as well) than about evanescence, and the understanding that we all must disappear. That this represents both an individual reckoning and a collective one should go without saying, and these essays range widely in angle and approach, addressing the death of Wayland-Smith's father from pancreatic cancer and her own diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer, as well as broader social and natural histories. The common thread, of course, is the author's sensibility, which comes to us infused with ideas and language, and a rigorous ability to see things not as we wish them to be but, instead, as they are. What I mean is that there is no false solace here, although there are many consolations. The Science of Last Things is an acute and necessary book.”—David L. Ulin, author of Sidewalking “Ellen Wayland-Smith’s writing is a magical alchemy of spiritual insight and scientific wonder. She delves into overwhelming mysteries—birth and death, the origin of life and the end of the world—and miraculously finds new meaning in them, responding to personal and planetary loss and decay with radiant reflections that awaken, delight, and console. These essays are an essential companion for life at the end of the world.”—Briallen Hopper, author of Hard to Love: Essays & Confessions Praise for Oneida “A lively and often entertaining account. [. . .] In Wayland-Smith’s extended chronicle, we see utopia as it sails through the world, assaulted on all sides by the forces of assimilation and greed.”―New Yorker  “Wayland-Smith is a gifted writer. Her lively account of how Oneida eventually succumbed to ‘the gods of Science and Doubt’ is a welcome change from most ‘as told by’ family histories.”―New York Times Book Review “Remarkable. [. . .] A detailed, riveting account.”―The Guardian “Lively. [Wayland-Smith’s] nuanced and empathetic book vividly captures the spirit of a brief historical moment.”―The Boston Globe “[A] fascinating, beautifully-told history.”―New Republic “An incredible story”―WBUR’s Here and Now “An intimate, quirky family portrait”―The Nation “A gimlet-eyed book about Wayland-Smith’s family history”―Gawker “Drawing from letters, diaries, newsletters, and family stories, the author, an original-family descendant, adds inside information to this retelling of a radical movement’s transformation in the shifting current of American ideals. The narrative is engaging and detailed. This is a must-read for those interested in American social history, and should have broad appeal.”―Booklist (starred) “[An] impressively thorough and engaging work. [. . .] This book is a fascinating look into the strange history of Oneida silverware and how its origins reflect an exhilarating period of American history.”―Publishers Weekly (starred) “This compelling narrative seamlessly threads the unlikely alliance between a ‘free love utopia’ and a household brand name. Fans of Joseph Ellis and David McCullough will appreciate this engrossing entry.”―Library Journal (starred) “The spotlight Wayland-Smith shines on this remarkable community’s beginnings and ending offers a riveting glimpse into the quintessentially American early-19th-century struggle with the rights of the individual and separation of church and state. A smartly contextualized tale of ‘the tension between radical social critique and unapologetic accommodation [. . .] between communal harmony and individual striving.’”―Kirkus Reviews Praise for The Angel in the Marketplace “Wayland-Smith’s lively history tells the unusual story of pioneering adwoman Jean Wade Rindlaub, who climbed the ladder from secretary to executive in the mid-twentieth century. Wayland-Smith insightfully shows how Rindlaub touted motherhood, home, love, and Christian service as the cornerstones of the free market and free world, but how late in life she became a campaigner for social justice. The Angel in the Marketplace illuminates one woman’s journey from advocating traditional notions of women’s place and the benefits of capitalism to questioning the underlying message of the ads she produced.”—Kathy Peiss, author of Hope in a Jar “The Angel in the Marketplace is a deeply researched history of the American advertising industry told through the life of Jean Wade Rindlaub. It is a portrait of a prolific lady and her eye-catching ads that promoted cutlery, makeup, soaps, and cake mixes to Americans. Wayland-Smith captures the synergy between corporate capitalism and Christianity that animated the world of Madison Avenue ad women and men of the twentieth century. This talented writer delivers sharp analysis of consumer culture from colorful stories of ‘copy’ she has excavated from the archives.”—Michelle Nickerson, author of Mothers of Conservatism

Author Information

Ellen Wayland-Smith is the author of Oneida and The Angel in the Marketplace. Her work has appeared in Guernica, Catapult, The Millions, Longreads,The American Scholar, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. She teaches at the University of Southern California and lives in Los Angeles.

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