Venice triumphant : the horizons of a myth

Bibliographic Information

Venice triumphant : the horizons of a myth

Elisabeth Crouzet-Pavan ; translated by Lydia G. Cochrane

Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002

  • : pbk

Other Title

Venise triomphante : les horizons d'un mythe

Available at  / 7 libraries

Search this Book/Journal

Note

Originally published: Paris : Albin Michel, c1999

Includes bibliographical references (p. 339-371) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Volume

ISBN 9780801869587

Description

Perhaps more than in any other city, Venice has been shaped by its environment. The lagoon on which it was built isolated the city's inhabitants from mainland Europe, forcing them to look seaward for their survival and to establish a maritime empire that generated incalculable wealth, making Venice the envy of Renaissance Europe. In this volume, Elisabeth Crouzet-Pavan provides a multilayered history of Venice from Roman times to the 16th century. Instead of employing a rigidly chronological framework, she looks at the history of Venice thematically, focusing on the relationship between the city and its unique physical milieu in a way that emphasizes complexity and continuity. Central to Crouzet-Pavan's discussion is her concept of "l'imaginaire", literally translated as "the imaginary" and here meaning the many symbolic terms Venetians created to describe and understand the peculiar space they inhabited and, by extension, themselves. One key example of "l'imaginaire" is Venetians' use of the term "the continent" to refer, somewhat dismissively, to Italy, Germany, and other lands beyond the lagoon in order to emphasize their own distinctive maritime identity. As Crouzet-Pavan shows, this sense of exceptionalism impacts every aspect of Venetian history: its art and architecture; its involvement with mainland politics; its commercial, civic, and political institutions; and the shape of daily life in its homes, alleys, and courtyards.
Volume

: pbk ISBN 9780801881893

Description

Perhaps more than in any other city, Venice has been shaped by its environment. The lagoon on which it was built isolated the city's inhabitants from mainland Europe, forcing them to look seaward for their survival and to establish a maritime empire that generated incalculable wealth, making Venice the envy of Renaissance Europe. In Venice Triumphant, Elisabeth Crouzet-Pavan provides a rich, multilayered history of Venice from Roman times to the sixteenth century. Instead of employing a rigidly chronological framework, she looks at the history of Venice thematically, focusing on the relationship between the city and its unique physical milieu in a way that emphasizes complexity and continuity. Central to Crouzet-Pavan's discussion is her concept of l'imaginaire, literally translated as "the imaginary" and here meaning the many symbolic terms Venetians created to describe and understand the peculiar space they inhabited and, by extension, themselves. One key example of l'imaginaire is Venetians' use of the term "the continent" to refer, somewhat dismissively, to Italy, Germany, and other lands beyond the lagoon in order to emphasize their own distinctive maritime identity. As Crouzet-Pavan shows, this sense of exceptionalism impacts every aspect of Venetian history: its art and architecture; its involvement with mainland politics; its commercial, civic, and political institutions; and the shape of daily life in its homes, alleys, and courtyards. Elegantly translated by Lydia G. Cochrane, Venice Triumphant offers a bold new perspective on the world's most beautiful-and remarkable-city.

Table of Contents

Contents: List of Maps Introduction ChronologyOne A City Born in the WaterTwo A City Wed to the SeaThree The Lion and the LandFour Scenes of Daily LifeFive The State in MotionSix The People of the City Conclusion Notes Glossary Bibliography Index

by "Nielsen BookData"

Details

  • NCID
    BA61164821
  • ISBN
    • 0801869587
    • 0801881897
  • LCCN
    2001006617
  • Country Code
    us
  • Title Language Code
    eng
  • Text Language Code
    eng
  • Original Language Code
    fre
  • Place of Publication
    Baltimore
  • Pages/Volumes
    xxi, 386 p.
  • Size
    24 cm
  • Classification
  • Subject Headings
Page Top