Geoffrey Scott and the Berenson Circle: Literary and Aesthetic Life in the Early 20th Century (Studies in British Literature) [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Richard M. Dunn (Author)

Book Description

Series: Studies in British Literature | Publication Date: June 1998

This is a biography of writer, architect, aesthete and editor Geoffrey Scott (1884-1929). His "Architecture of Humanism" was considered the most important statement about architecture since Ruskin, and was used as a basic text in architectural schools for many years. The "Portrait of Zelide" won the James Tait Memorial Black Prize. Scott was also a prominent figure in social and intellectual circles in London, Florence and New York. A protege of Bernard and Mary Berenson, he spent many years living and working at the art historian's villa outside Florence. Married to the wealthy Lady Sybil Cutting during the war, Scott had a tempestuous affair with Vita Sackille West. Edith Wharton, John Maynard Keynes, and other Bloomsbury figures were among his friends. This biography focuses particularly on his letters, found in Berenson's villa outside Florence, and until now largely unpublished.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Virtually forgotten today, except by architects who read The Architecture of Humanism (Peter Smith Pub., 1990), Scott (1884-1929) played a small but integral part in the British literary scene in the first years of this century. Introduced to the intelligentsia at an early age through his close friendship with the wife of renowned art historian Bernard Berenson, Scott left his most lasting trace as architect and garden designer of the Berensons' Italian villa, but he also published poems and a novel and began editing the complete papers of James Boswell. Dunn (New Sch. of Social Research) wisely concentrates on Scott's unpublished correspondence. Although Scott was a sad and flawed man, Dunn deftly defines his place and importance within the vibrant literary and artistic milieu of the early 20th century. Recommended for academic libraries. (Illustrations not seen.)?Shelley Cox, Southern Illinois Univ., Carbondale
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Edwin Mellen Pr; illustrated edition edition (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0773484884
• ISBN-13: 978-0773484887
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,341,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Full page review in Times Literary Supplement, September 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Geoffrey Scott and the Berenson Circle: Literary and Aesthetic Life in the Early 20th Century (Studies in British Literature) (Hardcover)

P.N. Furbank writes that "Richard Dunn's title is well-chosen, for that extraordinary phenomenon 'The Berenson Circle' in Florence, is what gives his attractive book its plot and its meaning....{Dunn who] has access to the I Tatti achives, has told this story very skillfully, and with proper fairness and detachment."

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Library Journal recommends this book, July 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Geoffrey Scott and the Berenson Circle: Literary and Aesthetic Life in the Early 20th Century (Studies in British Literature) (Hardcover)

Shelley Cox writes in the Library Journal that "Scott played a small but integral part in the British literary scene in the first years of this century. Introduced to the intelligentsia at an early age through his close friendship with the wife of renowned art historian Bernard Berenson, Scott left his most lasting trace as architect and garden designer of the Berensons' Italian villa, but he also published poems and a novel [actually a biography, the hjighly regarded Portrait of Zelide, recently reissued by Turtle Point Press) and began editing the complete papers of James Boswell. Dunn wisely concentrates on Scott's unpublished correspondence. Although Scott was a sad and flawed man, Dunn deftly defines his place and importance within the vibrant literary and artistic milieu of the early 20th Century."