Whispering City : Rome and Its Histories

by R. J. B. Bosworth

• ISBN13: 9780300114713
• ISBN10: 0300114710
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2011-04-26
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

InCivilization and Its Discontents, Sigmund Freud claimed that Rome must be comprehended as "not a human dwelling place but a mental entity," in which the palaces of the Caesars still stand alongside modern apartment buildings in layers of brick, mortar, and memory. "The observer would need merely to shift the focus of his eyes, perhaps, or change his position, in order to call up a view of either the one or the other." In this one-of-a-kind book, historian Richard Bosworth accepts Freud's challenge, drawing upon his expertise in Italian pasts to explore the many layers of history found within the Eternal City. Often beginning his analysis with sites and monuments that can still be found in contemporary Rome, Bosworth expands his scope to review how political groups of different erasthe Catholic Church, makers of the Italian nation, Fascists, and "ordinary" Romans (be they citizens, immigrants, or tourists)read meaning into the city around them. Weaving in the city's quintessential figures (Garibaldi, Pius XII, Mussolini, and Berlusconi) and architectural icons (the Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica, the Victor Emmanuel Monument, and EUR) with those forgotten or unknown, Bosworth explores the many histories that whisper their rival and competing messages and seek to impose their truth upon the passing crowds. But as this delightful study will reveal, Rome, that magisterial palimpsest, has never accepted a single reading of its historic meaning.

Author Biography

A renowned Anglophone Italianist, Richard Bosworth is Professor of History at Reading University and Winthrop Professor of History at the University of Western Australia. In 2011, he will become a Senior Research Fellow at Jesus College, Oxford. He divides his time between Australia and England.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. ix
List of Maps	p. xi
Preface	p. xii
Introduction	p. 1
Rome and the Romes across time	p. 11
Rome, revolution and history	p. 33
A Holy City: its past and future restored?	p. 57
Roman revolution, national revolution	p. 83
Italian Rome: rational and humanist	p. 107
Italian Rome: national and imperialist	p. 133
Rome, its histories and Fascist totalitarianism	p. 161
The Rome of Mussolini and his history wars	p. 187
A second Restoration? The Catholic and imperial Rome of Pius XII	p. 213
Olympic Rome: sport, blood and histories	p. 241
Eternity globalised	p. 267
Conclusion	p. 292
Notes	p. 302
Index	p. 341
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