Building in Words: Representations of the Process of Construction in Latin Literature (Classical Culture and Society)

Building in Words explores the relationship between text and architecture in the Roman world from the perspective of architectural process. Ancient Romans frequently encountered buildings under construction - they experienced noisy building work, disruptive transportation of materials, and sometimes spectacular engineering feats. Bettina Reitz-Joosse analyzes how Roman authors responded to the process of building and construction in their literary works. Roman authors tell stories of architectural creation to give meaning to finished monuments. Their narratives can stress technological or logistic mastery or highlight morally problematic aspects of construction, particularly in large-scale engineering projects. While offering descriptions of the process of creating architecture, Roman writers also reflect on the creation of their own works. Building in Words demonstrates the richness of the image of construction for literary composition: writers use it to comment on the aesthetics or ambition of their literary work, to articulate the power and durability, but also the fragility of literature. Reitz-Joosse here offers original readings of a range of literary authors of the early Roman empire, including Vergil, Pliny the Elder, Tacitus, and Statius, and places literary texts in dialogue with contemporary epigraphic and archaeological material. Through its focus on building as a process, Building in Words furthers our understanding of the aesthetics of both architecture and literature in ancient Rome. "Building in Words explores the relation between text and architecture in the Roman world from a new angle. Ancient Roman viewers were not only confronted with finished monuments, but also frequently with buildings under construction. They experienced noisy building work, disruptive transportation of materials, and sometimes spectacular engineering feats. This book analyses how Roman writers responded to the process of building and construction in their works. For Roman authors, telling stories of architectural creation served to give meaning to finished monuments. Representing a building's construction might encourage admiration of its artistry, cost, or labour. On the other hand, it could also highlight morally problematic aspects of construction, especially in connection with large-scale engineering projects. In offering descriptions of the process of creating architecture, writers also reflect on the creation of their own works. The metaphor of construction for literary composition is polyvalent: writers use it to comment on the aesthetics or ambition of their literary work, to articulate the power and durability, but also the fragility of literature. This monograph places literary texts of the early Roman empire in dialogue with epigraphic and archaeological material. Through its focus on the process of building, it furthers our understanding of the aesthetics of both architecture and literature in ancient Rome"-- Provided by publisher. Building in Words explores the relation between text and architecture in the Roman world from the perspective of architectural process. Ancient Romans frequently encountered buildings under construction—they experienced noisy building work, disruptive transportation of materials, and sometimes spectacular engineering feats. This book analyses how Roman writers responded to the process of building and construction in their literary works. Roman authors tell stories of architectural creation to give meaning to finished monuments. Their narratives can stress technological or logistic mastery or highlight morally problematic aspects of construction, particularly in large-scale engineering projects. While offering descriptions of the process of creating architecture, writers also reflect on the creation of their own works. The metaphor of construction for literary composition is polyvalent: writers use it to comment on the aesthetics or ambition of their literary work, to articulate not only the power and durability, but also the fragility of literature. This monograph places literary texts of the early Roman Empire in dialogue with epigraphic and archaeological material. Through its focus on building as a process, it offers a new perspective on the aesthetics of both architecture and literature in ancient Rome. Building in Words explores the relationship between text and architecture in the Roman world from the perspective of architectural process. Original readings of literary texts are placed in dialogue with epigraphic and archaeological material. Through its focus on construction, this book furthers our understanding of the aesthetics of Roman architecture and literature. Cover Building in Words Copyright Contents Figures Acknowledgements Bibliographical Abbreviations Introduction