ENGLISH

Venice incognito: masks in the serene republic

By James H. Johnson

Book information

Publisher
University of California Press
Year
2011
ISBN
0520267710, 978-0-520-26771-8, 9780520948624, 0520948629
LCC
DG678.4 .J65 2011
Google Books ID
MGupdf1di2AC
Open Library ID
OL25059508M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
5 MB (5340875 bytes)
Edition
1
Pages
335\335
Time added
2012-02-04 16:00:00

Description

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.

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