The idea of Venice
M Plant
8 points * 3 hours per week * Second semester * Clayton * Prerequisites: Two visual arts subjects at first-year level
The course studies the phenomenon of Venice with its continuous history from the fifth century until today. It will introduce the Eastern and Byzantine city, the Gothic city, Venice in the Golden Age, and the eighteenth-century Venice of Tiepolo. However, it will not take the Golden Age as its primary focus. It will look at the so-called `Myth of Venice', and the Venice that has provoked international interest as a unique city. Venice in the modern period will have particular attention as (i) an inspirational city for Goethe, Ruskin and Turner, Thomas Mann and Visconti; (ii) the site of the Art Biennale; and (iii) a setting for many films in the twentieth century. The questions of conservation, restoration and the implications of heavy tourism will be an important part of discussion, and should be of interest to students of contemporary culture.
Assessment
Seminar paper (1500 words): 25% * Essay (3000 words): 50% * Test (1 hour): 25%
Recommended texts
Hibbert C Venice: The biography of a city Grafton, 1988
Mann T Death in Venice Penguin, 1986
Muir E Civic ritual in renaissance Venice Princeton, 1981
Ruskin J The stones of Venice (any edn)