Reviews
A formidable reading of Venetian history.... To say that Crouzet-Pavan has a grasp of the literature, from the oldest parchments to contemporary writings, is an understatement, and she is always happy to poke a hole in a thesis—that Venice turned its back on the mainland, for example.... Elegantly, she animates her story with the acts, words, and movements of actual Venetians... constantly shuffling the big picture with the human scale: international relations are crucially important, but so are the role of money-lending and salt production, not to mention confraternities, the parish bell tower, the candlestick maker, the fencing teacher, and the rag seller. Crouzet-Pavan is an impressive conductor, making sprightly and complex music out of myriad strains that shape Venice.
Masterful... This elegantly written, even lyrical, work should be the standard for all future books on Venice.
A novel approach to retelling a story that has been told many times... This work will be of value to historians and students of Venetian history.
Crouzet-Pavan has not only produced an original and intriguing overview of Venetian history; she has provided a thoughtful personal review of the mass of scholarly work that has radically changed our understanding of Venice and medieval and Renaissance Italy over the last half century.
This book offers an innovative perspective for reconsidering the history of the identity of Venice... In the rich and endless, though also traditional, literature on Venice, this book is very different. It provides an original methodology and a fascinating approach to the Venetian past.
For more than twenty years, Elisabeth Crouzet-Pavan has dedicated herself to the study of urban affairs on the Italian peninsula. Not without daring, she presents a formidable work of synthesis on the rise of the city of the Doges, the evolution of a unique place and identity.
Elisabeth Crouzet-Pavan reconstructs the history of the city and at a stroke disposes of the customary clichés... A must-read work for those wishing to return to Venice and discover the thousand and one secrets of this ephemeral yet enduring city.
This is true background for a city which seems balanced carefully between Roman times; the enchantment of the 16th century—and today. This book will fill you in on the ancient part and connect you with its footpaths into today as nothing else I have read does.
Pick up Venice Triumphant and you can get lost in its pages as you might in a glossy picture book of the city—enjoying the verbal images, reading a bit in one place or another, skipping around as mood and moment suggest.
A fine synthesis of Venetian history.
Elisabeth Crouzet-Pavan is the premiere historian of Venice writing today. The depth of her research in the Venetian archives is unmatched and she writes with a poetic sensibility that equals Fernand Braudel's. Venice Triumphant is an innovative, thematic history of the city that emphasizes continuity and explores issues of space, power, and representation. Her discussion is clear, never obscure, and she writes in a lively, evocative prose that will appeal to general readers and historians alike. This book should become the standard work on the history of Venice for the next generation.
Book Details
List of Maps
Introduction
Chronology
1. A City Born in the Water
2. A City Wed to the Sea
3. The Lion and the Land
4. Scenes of Daily Life
5. The State in Motion
6. The People of the City
Conclusion
Note
Glossar
List of Maps
Introduction
Chronology
1. A City Born in the Water
2. A City Wed to the Sea
3. The Lion and the Land
4. Scenes of Daily Life
5. The State in Motion
6. The People of the City
Conclusion
Note
Glossary
Bibliography
Index