Imagining England's past : inspiration, enchantment, obsession / Susan Owens.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Owens, Susan, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Myth in art.

History in art.

Legends--England.

Legends.

Mythology, English.

England--In art.

England.

Genre:

Art.

Physical Description:

303 pages, 16 unnumbered leaves of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

London : Thames and Hudson, 2023.

Summary:

England has long built its sense of self on visions of its past. What does it mean for medieval writers to summon King Arthur from the post-Roman fog; for William Morris to resurrect the skills of the medieval workshop and Julia Margaret Cameron to portray the Arthurian court with her Victorian camera; or for Yinka Shonibare in the final years of the twentieth century to visualize a Black Victorian dandy? By exploring the imaginations of successive generations, this book reveals how diverse notions of the past have inspired literature, art, music, architecture and fashion. It shines a light on subjects from myths to mock-Tudor houses, Stonehenge to steampunk, and asks how and why the past continues so powerfully to shape the present. Not a history of England, but a history of those who have written, painted and dreamed it into being, Imagining England's Past offers a lively, erudite account of the making and manipulation of the days of old.

Contents:

Prologue

I. Once upon a time

II. The treasures of time

III. Living in the past

IV. In the olden days

V. Crusages against the age

VI. Nostalgia

VII. Backing into the future

Epilogue.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 270-292) and index.

Other Format:

ebook version :

ISBN:

9780500024331

0500024332

OCLC:

1371813450