Gothic Revival A&I (Art and Ideas) [Paperback]

Chris Brooks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 21, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0714834807 | ISBN-13: 978-0714834801

At the height of the Victorian period, a craze for Gothic style swept England and spread far beyond. Gothic architecture, associated with the social and cultural ideals of the Middle Ages, was seen as a means of remaking the modern world. In this exposition, Chris Brooks unravels the layers of meaning that Gothic held for its many reinventors: from the political uses of Gothic history in the 17th century to Barry and Pugin's Houses of Parliament in the mid-19th century. Yet Gothic is not just buildings: continually recreated, it has taken the form of poetry and fiction, of painting and sculpture, of movies and video games, of Gothic music and Gothic punk. Gothic became a dominant cultural and architectural force not only in 19th-century Britain, but across Europe, in the United States and in the countries of the British Empire. It is still pervasive. This book deals comprehensively with the whole scope of the Gothic Revival.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

At the height of the Victorian period, a craze for Gothic style swept England and spread far beyond. Gothic architecture, associated with the social and cultural ideals of the Middle Ages, was seen as a means of remaking the modern world. In this exposition, Chris Brooks unravels the layers of meaning that Gothic held for its many reinventors: from the political uses of Gothic history in the 17th century to Barry and Pugin's Houses of Parliament in the mid-19th century. Yet Gothic is not just buildings: continually recreated, it has taken the form of poetry and fiction, of painting and sculpture, of movies and video games, of Gothic music and Gothic punk. Gothic became a dominant cultural and architectural force not only in 19th-century Britain, but across Europe, in the United States and in the countries of the British Empire. It is still pervasive. This book deals comprehensively with the whole scope of the Gothic Revival.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (June 21, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714834807
• ISBN-13: 978-0714834801
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,065,121 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #77 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Gothic

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lively and masterful summary, September 28, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Gothic Revival A&I (Art and Ideas) (Paperback)

This is the first new survey of the Gothic Revival for more than seventy years. Even to have caught up with the huge amount of writing since then, both in architectural history and in cultural history, would have been a great achievement. Chris Brooks goes much further, however, in his gift for tracing connections and suggesting parallels between artistic change and its social context. He also shows how widely the Revival ranged, both in the English speaking world, and on Continental Europe. He shows that the Gothic Revival is truly one of the central themes of Western culture.

Two more points in its favour: it is beautifully illustrated, inventively designed, and exceptionally good value...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars NOT a 12 Year Old Reader, March 6, 2003

By 

Jiri Krten (New Milford, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gothic Revival A&I (Art and Ideas) (Paperback)

I found Chris Brook's book beautifully illustrated and quite informative. The Gothic Revival style is little understood and little appreciated. Personally, I don't believe anyone can truly understand Art Nouveau (and its successor, Art Deco)without an understanding of the organic forms first created by neo-Gothic architects. For anyone who wishes to better understand 19th and early 20th century architecture (and perhaps their own local parish church building), this is a very good introduction to the subject.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars don't judge this book by it's publisher, December 4, 2008

By 

smt (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gothic Revival A&I (Art and Ideas) (Paperback)

Before opening the book, I was concerned that I would find a lavishly illustrated but scholarly lacking volume, given its glossy pages and that I associate its publisher, Phaidon, much more with coffee table books than anything I would read for academic pursuits.

I was pleased to find that this couldn't be further from the truth. Chris Brooks's book on the Gothic Revival is not only full of historical detail, but does a better job than any other book on the Gothic Revival in explicating the social and political contexts of the movement(s). (Note: the book focuses overwhelmingly on architecture, but does address issues such as the Gothic novel.) Having surveyed the majority of literature on the (British) Gothic Revival, this would be the first book I would recommend for anyone who wants a detailed overview of both the material and intellectual content of the Gothic Revival.