Building in Words
The Process of Construction in Latin Literature
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11779111 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Bettina Reitz–Joosse (0000-0002-7512-3502, corresponding author), Bettina Reitz-Joosse (Associate Professor of Latin Language and Literature, University of Groningen), Bettina Reitz-Joose |
| Year | 2022 |
| Pages | 280 |
| Publication date | 2022-01-19 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | BOOK |
| Venue | Building in Words (SOURCE_BOOK) |
| Publisher | Oxford University PressNew York (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1093/oso/9780197610688.001.0001 |
| OpenAlex | W4206337609 |
| Open Library | OL33943273M |
| ISBN | 9780197610688 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 26 |
Building in Words explores the relation between text and architecture in the Roman world from the perspective of architectural process. Ancient Romans frequently encountered buildings under construction—they experienced noisy building work, disruptive transportation of materials, and sometimes spectacular engineering feats. This book analyses how Roman writers responded to the process of building and construction in their literary works. Roman authors tell stories of architectural creation to give meaning to finished monuments. Their narratives can stress technological or logistic mastery or highlight morally problematic aspects of construction, particularly in large-scale engineering projects. While offering descriptions of the process of creating architecture, writers also reflect on the creation of their own works. The metaphor of construction for literary composition is polyvalent: writers use it to comment on the aesthetics or ambition of their literary work, to articulate not only the power and durability, but also the fragility of literature. This monograph places literary texts of the early Roman Empire in dialogue with epigraphic and archaeological material. Through its focus on building as a process, it offers a new perspective on the aesthetics of both architecture and literature in ancient Rome
Aesthetics · Art · Epistemology · Linguistics · Literature · Meaning (existential · Metaphor · Narrative · Perspective (graphical · Relation (database · Visual arts · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Architecture · Byzantine Studies and History · Classical Antiquity Studies · Computer Science · History · Philosophy
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |