Venice Observed (Art and Places) (Paperback)

by Mary McCarthy (Author) "Venice at 8 to 9; went to Danielli's [sic]..." (more)
Key Phrases: Doge's Palace, Grand Canal, San Rocco (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A penetrating work of reportage on Venice. “Searching observations and astonishing comprehension of the Venetian taste and character” (New York Herald Tribune).

About the Author

Mary McCarthy (1912-1989) was a short-story writer, bestselling novelist, essayist, and critic. A member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters, she was the author of THE GROUP, MEMORIES OF A CATHOLIC GIRLHOOD, THE STONES OF FLORENCE, and BIRDS OF AMERICA, among other books.

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Product Details Paperback: 168 pages Publisher: Harvest Books (September 25, 1963) Language: English ISBN-10: 015693521X ISBN-13: 978-0156935210 Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #354,423 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #53 in  Books > Travel > Europe > Italy > Venice

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
Venice at 8 to 9; went to Danielli's [sic]. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Doge's Palace, Grand Canal, San Rocco, Giovanni Bellini, The Return of the Native, Harry's Bar, Holy Office, San Zaccaria, Paolo Sarpi, Piazza San Marco, San Giorgio, Santa Fosca, Santa Maria, San Geminiano, Carlo Zeno, Correr Museum, Jacopo Bellini, Queen of Cyprus, San Francesco, Venice Preserved, Villa Maser, Ascension Day, Belle Arti, Golden Age, Hall of the Great Council

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 20 books:

• Memories of a Catholic Girlhood by Mary McCarthy in Front Matter, and Back Matter
• Cast A Cold Eye by Mary McCarthy in Front Matter, and Back Matter
• The Company She Keeps by Mary McCarthy in Front Matter, and Back Matter
• Between Friends: The Correspondence of Hannah Arendt and Mary McCarthy 1949-1975 by Hannah Arendt in Front Matter, and Back Matter
• The Stones of Florence by Mary McCarthy in Front Matter, and Back Matter

See all 20 books this book cites

 

74 books cite this book:

• Storied Cities: Literary Imaginings of Florence, Venice, and Rome (Contributions to the Study of World Literature) by Michael L. Ross on 8 pages
• A Literary Companion To Venice: Including Seven Walking Tours by Ian Littlewood on 4 pages
• Twenty-Four Ways of Looking at Mary McCarthy: The Writer and Her Work (Contributions to the Study of World Literature) by Eve Stwertka on 4 pages
• Renaissance Woman by Gaia Servadio on page 89, page 248, and Back Matter
• Civic Justice: From Greek Antiquity to the Modern World by Peter Murphy on page 138, page 190, and Back Matter

See all 74 books citing this book

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Books on Related Topics (learn more)

Venice by Aluise Zorzi

Discusses:

• one doge
• Grand Canal
• San Giorgio

Civic Ritual in Renaissance Venice by Edward Muir

Discusses:

• ducal authority
• San Rocco
• San Zaccaria

A History of Painting in North Italy by Joseph Archer Crowe; Giovanni Battista Cavalcaselle

Discusses:

• attendant saints
• San Rocco
• Giovanni Bellini

Venice by Aluise Zorzi Discusses: one doge Grand Canal San Giorgio Civic Ritual in Renaissance Venice by Edward Muir Discusses: ducal authority San Rocco San Zaccaria A History of Painting in North Italy by Joseph Archer Crowe; Giovanni Battista Cavalcaselle Discusses: attendant saints San Rocco Giovanni Bellini Loading...

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	63% buy the item featured on this page: Venice Observed (Art and Places) 3.0 out of 5 stars (7) $10.40
	16% buy The Stones of Florence 3.9 out of 5 stars (18) $11.20
	8% buy The World of Venice: Revised Edition 4.1 out of 5 stars (9) $15.68
	6% buy The City of Falling Angels 3.5 out of 5 stars (217) $10.20

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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews 5 star:  (1) 4 star:  (1) 3 star:  (3) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review 3.0 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 45 of 50 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars For art and literature buffs...., April 21, 2001 By  Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    Mary McCarthy's VENICE OBSERVED is neither history nor a guide book but rather a literary reflection written by a young 1950s "single" woman who has visited a beautiful place and now sits at her desk and muses over what she has seen. McCarthy was a writer and an educated woman in an age when educated women were few. She probably wore white gloves and a little hat and visited Europe after graduation from college. One can picture the author of THE GROUP traveling abroad, continuing her education. As part of her formal training, she read James and Ruskin and then she visited the sights they described and wrote her own impressions. I found McCarthy's book intriguing because she was intriguing and women like her don't exist any more. I picture her looking a bit like Katherine Hepburn arriving in Italy in "Summertime." Maybe McCarthy wasn't a "career girl" as single women sans husband and children who worked for a living were called in those days, but this is how I picture her on reading VENICE OBSERVED. I've just finished reading JJ Norwich's HISTORY OF VENICE and if you want history Norwich's book is the definitive history. VENICE OBSERVED is for women who want a bit of information to complement their education mixed in with another woman's reflections. VENICE OBSERVED is for educated women who travel alone. McCarthy includes some history, but only as a backdrop to her real interests which are art and literature. She assumes you know who Tintoretto and Titian were and that you've at least seen pictures of their works. Where Norwich mentions Tintoretto in passing (Norwich is more interested in archtecture) McCarthy dwells on him. VENICE OBSERVED is not an art book however. McCarthy's writing reminds me of James or Ruskin, both of whom she quotes. They observed various places, buildings, paintings, etc. but always assumed you had some prior knowledge of the thing they were discussing. VENICE OBSERVED is the sort of book you'd want to read after you have made your own visit to Venice. You could read it before hand, but the text would be overwhelming if you come to it with no prior knowledge. If you want to read a more contemporary book, I recommend ITALIAN DAYS by Barbara Grizutti Harrison. 13 of 14 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Pure pleasure, June 27, 2002 By  Jay Dickson (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)       This is one of McCarthy's most delightful books, although it may also be her least controversial. VENICE OBSERVED might be the best single travel book ever written on Venice, and MCarthy's tone is leisurely and informative, her style witty and engaging. Her asides about her personal experiences in the city complement her grander historical and artistic musings: you never feel alienated from her prose (the way you can in her earlier THE STONES OF FLORENCE). Her anecdotes about the doges, Tintoretto, Veronese, the Councils, etc. greatly enhanced one's understanding of the city, and her musings on the art are thoughtful and illuminating. 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful: 2.0 out of 5 stars THERE ARE BETTER OBSERVERS THAN MARY, January 18, 2007 By  JAD (The Sunshine State) - See all my reviews VENICE OBSERVED While this has become sort of a cult classic, there are better books about Venice to be read and enjoyed, written in the years since Mary McCarthy penned this book. It is a very particular, personal and peculiar look at the famed city. It may be that this work was cutting edge for travelers in the 'Fifties, but it has long since been surpassed both in content and in tone, by more recent books, be they guidebooks or works of a more literary bent such as the gorgeous "Francesco's Venice" (written by a native of Venice) or "The City of Falling Angels" (by the award winning author of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" which is a brilliant and affectionate look at the city and its people by an American) both of which I recommend highly, as in five stars--read them before considering reading this book. Mary McCarthy is knowledgeable but she makes every effort to let you know just how very smart she is with the implication that she is smarter than you. She often quotes in other languages and let the reader puzzle them out - if you don't speak the language, then be glad your computer will do free translations for you. She also assumes you have already studied the art, architecture and history of Venice thoroughly before turning to her book, and having been thus armed with the basics from elsewhere, she will now give you her added (she would say, correct) slant. The book is not quite painful as her book about Florence, but like that book, this too is not a volume pitched to endear one to Venice. McCarthy's approach is that Venice is an acquired taste and most readers are not sophisticated enough to acquire it. While one feels put down by such an attitude, it is so pervasive it cannot be accidental. McCarthy tells how much better, smarter, wiser, well-read and insightful she is than any of her readers, which is an odd stance for an author to take. And far from the reality of a visit to Venice. You see, the reality is this: A taste for Venice can be acquired instantaneously, spontaneously, immediately. One need not know the art, architecture and history, to enjoy the sights the sounds and the people. Although knowing these things will of course add to one's visit. Even so, all one need do is walk the winding paths from the train station to San Marco, or ride the Number 82 vaparetto full circuit to enjoy and appreciate the myriad wonders of the city on the lagoon. To really get to know a place, one must do so with one's eyes out of the guidebooks and maps, and filled with everything there that is to be seen. Your experience of Venice may not be all Ms. McCarthy would have it be, but then why put her blinders between you and this place that poets, writers, travelers and sojourners have loved for eons. For example, take a half-day on Murano for relief (the canals are bordered by walkways; easy to enjoy) and an inexpensive ride over to San Giorggio Maggiore to go up THAT campanile (cheaper and better views than the campanile of San Marco). See the "Must See" points of interest if you wish, but if you miss them, don't sweat it! There are lots of surprises around every corner, over every bridge and in every shop window. The Venetians are friendly, the food is good and it is impossible to take a bad photo there. And when you stand on the crest of the Rialto Bridge, breathe one brief, silent sigh of thanks that Mary McCarthy isn't with you correcting your impressions! If you find this review helpful you might want to read some of my other reviews, including those on subjects ranging from biography to architecture, as well as religion and fiction.		Most Recent Customer Reviews 3.0 out of 5 stars Read "The Stones of Florence" First Written in 1956, "Venice Observed" was a precursor to "The Stones of Florence" (1959), one of the better travel books ever written. Read more Published on June 18, 2005 by Diego Banducci 1.0 out of 5 stars Ugh Talk about taking the joy out of an experience. I read this book prior to a week-long trip to Venice. This book quite simply accomplished none of its objectives. Read more Published on February 28, 2004 by K. A. Mancuso 3.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing insighs on Venice but a difficult read. Venice Observed is not a travel log. Rather, it is a compendium of historical topics that, when brought together, illustrate the mosaic history of Venice. Read more Published on April 11, 2001 by Allan M. Gathercoal 3.0 out of 5 stars Travellers will welcome McCarthy's cerebral look at Venice. McCarthy's Venice is witty, pragmatic, mercantile, impossible for Rome to harnass, and fully capable of reveling in its glory right up until its glorious decline. Read more Published on November 29, 1997 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Harvest Books (September 25, 1963)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 015693521X
• ISBN-13: 978-0156935210
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #354,423 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #53 in

  Books > Travel > Europe > Italy > Venice

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For art and literature buffs...., April 21, 2001

By	Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Mary McCarthy's VENICE OBSERVED is neither history nor a guide book but rather a literary reflection written by a young 1950s "single" woman who has visited a beautiful place and now sits at her desk and muses over what she has seen.

McCarthy was a writer and an educated woman in an age when educated women were few. She probably wore white gloves and a little hat and visited Europe after graduation from college. One can picture the author of THE GROUP traveling abroad, continuing her education. As part of her formal training, she read James and Ruskin and then she visited the sights they described and wrote her own impressions. I found McCarthy's book intriguing because she was intriguing and women like her don't exist any more. I picture her looking a bit like Katherine Hepburn arriving in Italy in "Summertime." Maybe McCarthy wasn't a "career girl" as single women sans husband and children who worked for a living were called in those days, but this is how I picture her on reading VENICE OBSERVED.

I've just finished reading JJ Norwich's HISTORY OF VENICE and if you want history Norwich's book is the definitive history. VENICE OBSERVED is for women who want a bit of information to complement their education mixed in with another woman's reflections. VENICE OBSERVED is for educated women who travel alone.

McCarthy includes some history, but only as a backdrop to her real interests which are art and literature. She assumes you know who Tintoretto and Titian were and that you've at least seen pictures of their works. Where Norwich mentions Tintoretto in passing (Norwich is more interested in archtecture) McCarthy dwells on him.

VENICE OBSERVED is not an art book however. McCarthy's writing reminds me of James or Ruskin, both of whom she quotes. They observed various places, buildings, paintings, etc. but always assumed you had some prior knowledge of the thing they were discussing. VENICE OBSERVED is the sort of book you'd want to read after you have made your own visit to Venice. You could read it before hand, but the text would be overwhelming if you come to it with no prior knowledge. If you want to read a more contemporary book, I recommend ITALIAN DAYS by Barbara Grizutti Harrison.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure pleasure, June 27, 2002

By	Jay Dickson (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This is one of McCarthy's most delightful books, although it may also be her least controversial. VENICE OBSERVED might be the best single travel book ever written on Venice, and MCarthy's tone is leisurely and informative, her style witty and engaging. Her asides about her personal experiences in the city complement her grander historical and artistic musings: you never feel alienated from her prose (the way you can in her earlier THE STONES OF FLORENCE). Her anecdotes about the doges, Tintoretto, Veronese, the Councils, etc. greatly enhanced one's understanding of the city, and her musings on the art are thoughtful and illuminating.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars THERE ARE BETTER OBSERVERS THAN MARY, January 18, 2007

By	JAD (The Sunshine State) - See all my reviews

VENICE OBSERVED
While this has become sort of a cult classic, there are better books about Venice to be read and enjoyed, written in the years since Mary McCarthy penned this book. It is a very particular, personal and peculiar look at the famed city.

It may be that this work was cutting edge for travelers in the 'Fifties, but it has long since been surpassed both in content and in tone, by more recent books, be they guidebooks or works of a more literary bent such as the gorgeous "Francesco's Venice" (written by a native of Venice) or "The City of Falling Angels" (by the award winning author of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" which is a brilliant and affectionate look at the city and its people by an American) both of which I recommend highly, as in five stars--read them before considering reading this book.

Mary McCarthy is knowledgeable but she makes every effort to let you know just how very smart she is with the implication that she is smarter than you. She often quotes in other languages and let the reader puzzle them out - if you don't speak the language, then be glad your computer will do free translations for you. She also assumes you have already studied the art, architecture and history of Venice thoroughly before turning to her book, and having been thus armed with the basics from elsewhere, she will now give you her added (she would say, correct) slant.

The book is not quite painful as her book about Florence, but like that book, this too is not a volume pitched to endear one to Venice.

McCarthy's approach is that Venice is an acquired taste and most readers are not sophisticated enough to acquire it. While one feels put down by such an attitude, it is so pervasive it cannot be accidental. McCarthy tells how much better, smarter, wiser, well-read and insightful she is than any of her readers, which is an odd stance for an author to take.

And far from the reality of a visit to Venice.

You see, the reality is this: A taste for Venice can be acquired instantaneously, spontaneously, immediately. One need not know the art, architecture and history, to enjoy the sights the sounds and the people. Although knowing these things will of course add to one's visit.

Even so, all one need do is walk the winding paths from the train station to San Marco, or ride the Number 82 vaparetto full circuit to enjoy and appreciate the myriad wonders of the city on the lagoon.

To really get to know a place, one must do so with one's eyes out of the guidebooks and maps, and filled with everything there that is to be seen. Your experience of Venice may not be all Ms. McCarthy would have it be, but then why put her blinders between you and this place that poets, writers, travelers and sojourners have loved for eons.

For example, take a half-day on Murano for relief (the canals are bordered by walkways; easy to enjoy) and an inexpensive ride over to San Giorggio Maggiore to go up THAT campanile (cheaper and better views than the campanile of San Marco). See the "Must See" points of interest if you wish, but if you miss them, don't sweat it!

There are lots of surprises around every corner, over every bridge and in every shop window. The Venetians are friendly, the food is good and it is impossible to take a bad photo there.

And when you stand on the crest of the Rialto Bridge, breathe one brief, silent sigh of thanks that Mary McCarthy isn't with you correcting your impressions!

If you find this review helpful you might want to read some of my other reviews, including those on subjects ranging from biography to architecture, as well as religion and fiction.