The Invention of the Historic Monument [Hardcover]

Fran�oise Choay (Author), Lauren M. O'Connell (Translator)

Out of Print--Limited Availability.

Book Description

Publication Date: April 23, 2001

This book traces an important strand in the intellectual history of the West from the Renaissance to the present. During this period, consciousness of the remains of the past - particularly the monuments of classical antiquity and, in the nineteenth century, impressive Romanesque and Gothic structures - grew exponentially. Architects such as Ruskin, Viollet-le-Duc, Riegl, and Boito developed and implemented theories as to how these types of monuments could be maintained for posterity. Analyzing the phenomenon of the historic monument from the fifteenth through the twentieth centuries, Françoise Choay exposes its ambivalent character, as a symbol of a capitalist economy, as a symptom of deep social malaise, and even as a touchstone for the rediscovery of humanistic values whose relevance for contemporary society can no longer be taken for granted. Originally published in the French, this book was awarded the Grand Prix National du Patrimoine by the French government in 1995.

#outer_postBodyPS { display: none; } #psGradient { display: none; } #psPlaceHolder { display: none; } #psExpand { display: none; } This book traces an important strand in the intellectual history of the West from the Renaissance to the present. During this period, consciousness of the remains of the past - particularly the monuments of classical antiquity and, in the nineteenth century, impressive Romanesque and Gothic structures - grew exponentially. Architects such as Ruskin, Viollet-le-Duc, Riegl, and Boito developed and implemented theories as to how these types of monuments could be maintained for posterity. Analyzing the phenomenon of the historic monument from the fifteenth through the twentieth centuries, Françoise Choay exposes its ambivalent character, as a symbol of a capitalist economy, as a symptom of deep social malaise, and even as a touchstone for the rediscovery of humanistic values whose relevance for contemporary society can no longer be taken for granted. Originally published in the French, this book was awarded the Grand Prix National du Patrimoine by the French government in 1995.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Choay is a woman with a mission. Her work is noth eminently sholarly, yet discreetly engagee; exhaustively ansd meticulously researched, yet opinionated. This no doubt explains her appeal to architects and urbanists, in addition to the historians and cultural theorists who are her peers." CAA reviews

Book Description

This book analyzes the ambivalent phenomenon of the historic monument from the fifteenth through the twentieth centuries. Françoise Choay discovers in the historic monument a symbol of a capitalist economy, a symptom of deep social malaise, and even a touchstone for the rediscovery of humanistic values.

Product Details

Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (April 23, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0521454743
ISBN-13: 978-0521454742
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,453,803 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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