Ruined by Design

Shaping Novels and Gardens in the Culture of Sensibility

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book Ruined by Design by Inger Sigrun Brodey, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Inger Sigrun Brodey ISBN: 9781136095382
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: January 11, 2013
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Inger Sigrun Brodey
ISBN: 9781136095382
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: January 11, 2013
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

By examining the motif of ruination in a variety of late-eighteenth-century domains, this book portrays the moral aesthetic of the culture of sensibility in Europe, particularly its negotiation of the demands of tradition and pragmatism alongside utopian longings for authenticity, natural goodness, self-governance, mutual transparency, and instantaneous kinship. This book argues that the rhetoric of ruins lends a distinctive shape to the architecture and literature of the time and requires the novel to adjust notions of authorship and narrative to accommodate the prevailing aesthetic. Just as architects of eighteenth-century follies pretend to have discovered "authentic" ruins, novelists within the culture of sensibility also build purposely fragmented texts and disguise their authorship, invoking highly artificial means of simulating nature. The cultural pursuit of human ruin, however, leads to hypocritical and sadistic extremes that put an end to the characteristic ambivalence of sensibility and its unusual structures.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

By examining the motif of ruination in a variety of late-eighteenth-century domains, this book portrays the moral aesthetic of the culture of sensibility in Europe, particularly its negotiation of the demands of tradition and pragmatism alongside utopian longings for authenticity, natural goodness, self-governance, mutual transparency, and instantaneous kinship. This book argues that the rhetoric of ruins lends a distinctive shape to the architecture and literature of the time and requires the novel to adjust notions of authorship and narrative to accommodate the prevailing aesthetic. Just as architects of eighteenth-century follies pretend to have discovered "authentic" ruins, novelists within the culture of sensibility also build purposely fragmented texts and disguise their authorship, invoking highly artificial means of simulating nature. The cultural pursuit of human ruin, however, leads to hypocritical and sadistic extremes that put an end to the characteristic ambivalence of sensibility and its unusual structures.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Bureaucracy, Law and Dystopia in the United Kingdom's Asylum System by Inger Sigrun Brodey
Cover of the book The Dynamics of Cities by Inger Sigrun Brodey
Cover of the book Economic Psychology and Experimental Economics by Inger Sigrun Brodey
Cover of the book Differentiation Is an Expectation by Inger Sigrun Brodey
Cover of the book Switzerland and the Second World War by Inger Sigrun Brodey
Cover of the book A Critical Bibliography of Adam Smith by Inger Sigrun Brodey
Cover of the book The Gendered West by Inger Sigrun Brodey
Cover of the book The Scottish Banks by Inger Sigrun Brodey
Cover of the book Psychological Perspectives On Women's Health by Inger Sigrun Brodey
Cover of the book 'The Contending Kingdoms' by Inger Sigrun Brodey
Cover of the book Security, Insecurity and Migration in Europe by Inger Sigrun Brodey
Cover of the book Mobility and Migration Choices by Inger Sigrun Brodey
Cover of the book Globalization of Small Economies as a Strategic Behavior in International Business by Inger Sigrun Brodey
Cover of the book Bereavement and Support by Inger Sigrun Brodey
Cover of the book A Presidential Nation by Inger Sigrun Brodey
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy