Venice incognito : masks in the serene republic / James H. Johnson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Johnson, James H., 1960-

Series:

ACLS Fellows' Publications.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Masks--Italy--Venice--History.

Masks.

Venice (Italy)--Social life and customs.

Venice (Italy).

Venice (Italy)--History--1508-1797.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiv, 317 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley, Calif. ; Los Angeles, Calif. : University of California Press, 2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"The entire town is disguised," declared a French tourist of eighteenth-century Venice. And, indeed, maskers of all ranks-nobles, clergy, imposters, seducers, con men-could be found mixing at every level of Venetian society. Even a pious nun donned a mask and male attire for her liaison with the libertine Casanova. In Venice Incognito, James H. Johnson offers a spirited analysis of masking in this carnival-loving city. He draws on a wealth of material to explore the world view of maskers, both during and outside of carnival, and reconstructs their logic: covering the face in public was a uniquely Venetian response to one of the most rigid class hierarchies in European history. This vivid account goes beyond common views that masking was about forgetting the past and minding the muse of pleasure to offer fresh insight into the historical construction of identity.

Contents:

pt. 1. The carnival of Venice

pt. 2. The culture of masking

pt. 3. The honest mask

pt. 4. Carnival and community.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786613277763

9781283277761

128327776X

9780520948624

0520948629

OCLC:

712773779