Ancient Egypt in the Modern Imagination : Art, Literature and Culture

"Ancient Egypt has always been a source of fascination to writers, artists and architects in the West. This book is the first study to address representations of Ancient Egypt in the modern imagination, breaking down conventional disciplinary boundaries between fields such as History, Classics, Art History, Fashion, Film, Archaeology, Egyptology, and Literature to further a nuanced understanding of ancient Egypt in cultures stretching from the eighteenth century to the present day, emphasising how some of the various meanings of ancient Egypt to modern people have traversed time and media. Divided into three themes, the chapters scrutinise different aspects of the use of ancient Egypt in a variety of media, looking in particular at the ways in which Egyptology as a discipline has influenced representations of Egypt, ancient Egypt's associations with death and mysticism, as well as connections between ancient Egypt and gendered power. The diversity of this study aims to emphasise both the multiplicity and the patterning of popular responses to ancient Egypt, as well as the longevity of this phenomenon and its relevance today." Cover; Half Title; Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Figures; Contributors; Introduction; Part I The Egyptological Imaginary; Chapter 1 'Wonderful Things' in Kingston upon Hull; Chapter 2 'Let Sleeping Scarabs Alone': When Egypt Came to Stonehenge; Chapter 3 3 'Mummy First: Statue After': Wyndham Lewis, Diffusionism, Mosaic Distinctions and the Egyptian Origins of Art; Chapter 4 Ancient Egypt in William S. Burroughs's Novels; Chapter 5 Between Success and Controversy: Christian Jacq and the Marketing of 'Egyptological' Fiction; Part II Death and Mysticism Chapter 6 Egyptomania, English Pyramids and the Quest for ImmortalityChapter 7 Obituaries and Obelisks: Egyptianizing Funerary Architecture and the Cemetery as a Heterotopic Space; Chapter 8 Tutankhartier: Death, Rebirth and Decoration; Or, Tutmania in the 1920s as a Metaphor for a Society in Recovery after World War One; Chapter 9 Celtic Egyptians: Isis Priests of the Lineage of Scota; Chapter 10 Jack the Ripper and the Mummy's Curse: Ancient Egypt in From Hell; Part III Gender and Sexuality; Chapter 11 From Sekhmet to Suffrage: Ancient Egypt in Early Twentieth-Century Women's Culture Chapter 12 'The Use of Old Objects': Ancient Egypt and English Writers around 1920Chapter 13 Women Surrealists and Egyptian Mythology: Sphinxes, Animals and Magic; Chapter 14 Egyptian Excesses: Taylor, Burton and Cleopatra; Chapter 15 The Mummy, the Priestess and the Heroine: Embodying and Legitimating Female Power in 1970s Girls' Comics; Notes; Introduction; 1 'Wonderful Things' in Kingston upon Hull; 2 'Let Sleeping Scarabs Alone': When Egypt Came to Stonehenge; 3 'Mummy First: Statue After': Wyndham Lewis, Diffusionism, Mosaic Distinctions and the Egyptian Origins of Art 4 Ancient Egypt in William S. Burroughs's Novels5 Between Success and Controversy: Christian Jacq and the Marketing of 'Egyptological' Fiction; 6 Egyptomania, English Pyramids and the Quest for Immortality; 7 Obituaries and Obelisks: Egyptianizing Funerary Architecture and the Cemetery as a Heterotopic Space; 8 Tutankhartier: Death, Rebirth and Decoration; Or, Tutmania in the 1920s as a Metaphor for a Society in Recovery after World War One; 9 Celtic Egyptians: Isis Priests of the Lineage of Scota; 10 Jack the Ripper and the Mummy's Curse: Ancient Egypt in From Hell 11 From Sekhmet to Suffrage: Ancient Egypt in Early Twentieth-Century Women's Culture12 'The Use of Old Objects': Ancient Egypt and English Writers around 1920; 13 Women Surrealists and Egyptian Mythology: Sphinxes, Animals and Magic; 14 Egyptian Excesses: Taylor, Burton and Cleopatra; 15 The Mummy, the Priestess and the Heroine: Embodying and Legitimating Female Power in 1970s Girls' Comics; Bibliography; Index Cover Half Title Title Copyright Dedication Contents Figures Contributors Introduction Part I The Egyptological Imaginary Chapter 1 ‘Wonderful Things’ in Kingston upon Hull Chapter 2 ‘Let Sleeping Scarabs Alone’: When Egypt Came to Stonehenge Chapter 3 3 ‘Mummy First: Statue After’: Wyndham Lewis, Diffusionism, Mosaic Distinctions and the Egyptian Origins of Art Chapter 4 Ancient Egypt in William S. Burroughs’s Novels Chapter 5 Between Success and Controversy: Christian Jacq and the Marketing of ‘Egyptological’ Fiction Part II Death and Mysticism Chapter 6 Egyptomania, English Pyramids and the Quest for Immortality Chapter 7 Obituaries and Obelisks: Egyptianizing Funerary Architecture and the Cemetery as a Heterotopic Space Chapter 8 Tutankhartier: Death, Rebirth and Decoration; Or, Tutmania in the 1920s as a Metaphor for a Society in Recovery after World War One Chapter 9 Celtic Egyptians: Isis Priests of the Lineage of Scota Chapter 10 Jack the Ripper and the Mummy’s Curse: Ancient Egypt in From Hell Part III Gender and Sexuality Chapter 11 From Sekhmet to Suffrage: Ancient Egypt in Early Twentieth-Century Women’s Culture Chapter 12 ‘The Use of Old Objects’: Ancient Egypt and English Writers around 1920 Chapter 13 Women Surrealists and Egyptian Mythology: Sphinxes, Animals and Magic Chapter 14 Egyptian Excesses: Taylor, Burton and Cleopatra Chapter 15 The Mummy, the Priestess and the Heroine: Embodying and Legitimating Female Power in 1970s Girls’ Comics Notes Introduction 1 ‘Wonderful Things’ in Kingston upon Hull 2 ‘Let Sleeping Scarabs Alone’: When Egypt Came to Stonehenge 3 ‘Mummy First: Statue After’: Wyndham Lewis, Diffusionism, Mosaic Distinctions and the Egyptian Origins of Art 4 Ancient Egypt in William S. Burroughs’s Novels 5 Between Success and Controversy: Christian Jacq and the Marketing of ‘Egyptological’ Fiction 6 Egyptomania, English Pyramids and the Quest for Immortality 7 Obituaries and Obelisks: Egyptianizing Funerary Architecture and the Cemetery as a Heterotopic Space 8 Tutankhartier: Death, Rebirth and Decoration; Or, Tutmania in the 1920s as a Metaphor for a Society in Recovery after World War One 9 Celtic Egyptians: Isis Priests of the Lineage of Scota 10 Jack the Ripper and the Mummy’s Curse: Ancient Egypt in From Hell 11 From Sekhmet to Suffrage: Ancient Egypt in Early Twentieth-Century Women’s Culture 12 ‘The Use of Old Objects’: Ancient Egypt and English Writers around 1920 13 Women Surrealists and Egyptian Mythology: Sphinxes, Animals and Magic 14 Egyptian Excesses: Taylor, Burton and Cleopatra 15 The Mummy, the Priestess and the Heroine: Embodying and Legitimating Female Power in 1970s Girls’ Comics Bibliography Index "Ancient Egypt has always been a source of fascination to writers, artists and architects in the West. This book is the first study to address representations of Ancient Egypt in the modern imagination, stretching from the eighteenth century to the present day. Divided into three sections, the chapters scrutinise different aspects of the use of ancient Egypt in a variety of media, looking in particular at the ways in which Egyptology as a discipline has influenced representations of Egypt, ancient Egypt's associations with death and mysticism, as well as connections between ancient Egypt and gendered power."--Bloomsbury Publishing