Paradise of Cities : Venice In the 19th Century

Rating:
Summary: LIfestyles of the Rich and Famous
Review: My first exposure to the writing of John Julius Norwich was through his excellent series on Byzantium. ["A Short History of Byzantium"; "Byzantium: The Early Centuries"; "Byzantium: The Apogee"; "Byzantium: The Decline and Fall"]. He is an excellent writer, producing elegant prose combined with a love for his subject and an enticing sense of humor. Because of my enjoyment of this series, I picked up this book without hesitation.

Venice has a proud history: politically, as an independent city-state; economically, the wealthy center of trade routes; artistically, possessing architectural treasures that still lure tourists. All this in addition to a breathtaking natural beauty.

By the time covered by this book, however, the city had lost its political independence and power [being conquered by Napoleon at the beginning of the 1800s, and then being passed on to Austria], as well as its economic importance [as new trade routes were developed; as the US developed as an economic power, causing trade with the west to eclipse trade with the east].

Venice continued, however, to attract wealthy and prominent citizens from England the America. Was it the natural beauty? The cultural offerings? A sense of nostalgia? "Paradise of Cities" relates snippets of the lives of the "rich and famous" who visited, often for extended periods, Venice during the 19th century. Norwich includes biographical sketches of Napoleon, Lord Byron, Wagner, Henry James, Robert Browing, James Whistler, and John Singer Sargent, among others, emphasizing their time in and love of Venice. Unfortunately, while there are many interesting tidbits about their lives in Venice, there is little insight as to what it was about Venice which enchanted them. It would have been fascinating to know what they were running from, or what they were searching for.

I expected more of a traditional history than it is. Aside from a short chapter on the ill-fated revolution of 1848 [very interesting!], the author provides little discussion on the evolution of the city or its people during this century. Nearly all the encounters and relationships reported on are with other foreign visitors - strange, from an author who claims an overwhelming love of the city. I wonder, too, on how he selected his cast of characters... Missing was Mark Twain, who visited the city in 1867 and again in 1878. His pithy description of Italy and the Italians in "Innocents Abroad", first published in 1869, was so resented in Italy that the book was not published there until 1960! [not an unusual reaction - there is a small town in Germany which, until at least the late 1970s, wouldn't even list Twain in its card catalog].

To recap: I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5, due to the lack of history of the city. But it is enjoyable reading, if somewhat episodic.


Rating:
Summary: Paradise of Cities : Venice In the 19th Century
Review: Norwich (A History of Venice; Byzantium: The Decline and Fall) has written a popular history of Venice in the 19th century, which he notes was a sad period for that magical city. In 1797, the 1000-year-old Venetian Republic was destroyed by Napoleon, perhaps the least attractive figure to influence Venetian history. Norwich's fresh and unusual approach is to view 19th-century Venice through the eyes of some of its most illustrious visitors, beginning with Napoleon, who seems to have been immune to the charms of Europe's most distinctively beautiful city. The following chapters introduce us to a wide range of travelers, who include an overwhelming number of writers and painters. From Byron, who spent his time in Venice seducing every woman in sight, to Ruskin, who meticulously studied that city's every Gothic structure, English visitors continued to play a large part in defining Venice's image to the world at large. American visitors included two of America's greatest painters, James McNeill Whistler and John Singer Sargent, who would be inspired by the city to produce some of their finest works. A highly readable book; recommended for academic and most public libraries.-