Securing the Past
Conservation in Art, Architecture and Literature
Published on 15. January 2009
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-0-521-89808-9 (ISBN)
Description
We all have a stake in the past and in its tangible preservation, and we trust professionals to preserve our cultural heritage for the future. However, restoration in all its forms is entangled in many contemporary theoretical debates and problems. This book is the first concerted effort to examine together the linked philosophies of the different arts of preserving and uncovering the past: the restoration of buildings, conservation of works of art, and editing of literary works to retrieve their original or intended texts. By investigating a series of recent crises in each of these areas, Securing the Past shows how their underlying justifications relate closely to one another. Paul Eggert shows how they have been philosophically undermined by postmodern theories and charts another, richer way forward to a new future for the past.
Reviews / Votes
'... [a] stimulating study ...' Contemporary Review '... interplay between theory and practice ... now leads Eggert to examine, from an unusually wide perspective and with solid historical-philosophical foundations, the interrelation between the three disciplines of art, architecture and literature ...' Paolo Italia, Ecdotica 'There is so much to consider in this volume that the journey will be much more interesting than any final word. It is a volume to be highly recommended. I look forward to seeing Eggert's work being picked up and debated in those professional forums where it can make most impact.' Robyn Sloggett, Director of the Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation, University of MelbourneMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
29 Halftones, unspecified
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
594 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-89808-9 (9780521898089)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
01/2009
Cambridge University Press
€61.50
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Paul Eggert is Professor of English at the University of New South Wales at ADFA.
Content
1. Introduction; 2. The witness of historic buildings and the restoration of the churches; 3. The new Ruskinians and the new aesthetes; 4. Forgery and authenticity: historical documents, literary works and paintings; 5. Conservators and agency: their role in the work; 6. Subtilising authorship: Rembrandt, scientific evidence and modern connoisseurship; 7. Materialist, performance or literary Shakespeare?; 8. Modes of editing literary works: conflicts in theory and practice; 9. Readers and editors: new directions in scholarly editing; 10. The editorial gaze and the nature of the work; Bibliography.