Whispering city : modern Rome and its histories / R.J.B. Bosworth.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bosworth, R. J. B.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Memory--Social aspects--Italy--Rome.

Memory.

Historic sites--Italy--Rome.

Historic sites.

Historic buildings--Italy--Rome.

Historic buildings.

Architecture--Italy--Rome.

Architecture.

Rome (Italy)--History.

Rome (Italy).

Rome (Italy)--Historiography.

Rome (Italy)--Description and travel.

Rome (Italy)--Buildings, structures, etc.

Physical Description:

xvii, 358 p. : ill., maps.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, c2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In Civilization and Its Discontents, Sigmund Freud claimed that Rome must be comprehended as "not a human dwelling place but a mental entity," in which the palaces of the Caesars still stand alongside modern apartment buildings in layers of brick, mortar, and memory. "The observer would need merely to shift the focus of his eyes, perhaps, or change his position, in order to call up a view of either the one or the other."In this one-of-a-kind book, historian Richard Bosworth accepts Freud's challenge, drawing upon his expertise in Italian pasts to explore the many layers of history found within the Eternal City. Often beginning his analysis with sites and monuments that can still be found in contemporary Rome, Bosworth expands his scope to review how political groups of different eras-the Catholic Church, makers of the Italian nation, Fascists, and "ordinary" Romans (be they citizens, immigrants, or tourists)-read meaning into the city around them. Weaving in the city's quintessential figures (Garibaldi, Pius XII, Mussolini, and Berlusconi) and architectural icons (the Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica, the Victor Emmanuel Monument, and EUR) with those forgotten or unknown, Bosworth explores the many histories that whisper their rival and competing messages and seek to impose their truth upon the passing crowds. But as this delightful study will reveal, Rome, that magisterial palimpsest, has never accepted a single reading of its historic meaning.

Contents:

Front matter

CONTENTS

ILLUSTRATIONS

MAPS

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

1. Rome and the Romes across time

2. Rome, revolution and history

3. A Holy City: its past and future restored?

4. Roman revolution, national revolution

5. Italian Rome: rational and humanist

6. Italian Rome: national and imperialist

7. Rome, its histories and Fascist totalitarianism

8. The Rome of Mussolini and his history wars

9. A second Restoration? The Catholic and imperial Rome of Pius XII

10. Olympic Rome: sport, blood and histories

11. Eternity globalised

CONCLUSION

NOTES

INDEX

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0-300-17222-2

OCLC:

1024009563