Decay in Ruskin's Architecture, Geology, and Wisdom

1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-041-16672-6
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 234 Seiten, Format (B × H): 174 mm x 246 mm

Reihe: Routledge Research in Art History

This book traces the evolution of Ruskin’s thinking on decay across the breadth and depth of his aesthetic, social and critical thought, providing a new perspective on the complex terrain of his architectural and landscape theory.

Ideas of decay are consistent across Ruskin’s work, from his thoughts on the laws of nature and material form, to his critiques of Victorian moral and spiritual values. The book argues that Ruskin envisioned a world where material and symbolic expressions like buildings and mountains were intended and designed to decay, proffering moral instruction rather than visual titillation. While expanding on Ruskin’s thought, the book explores the broader nineteenth-century debates that shaped his thinking on decay. In an era of competing and contradictory thought, Ruskin aimed to humanize the relationship between the build and natural environment, an endeavour still prescient today.

This book is ideal reading for researchers and students in Victorian Art, Art Theory, Architectural History, and philosophy.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate

Autoren/Hrsg.

Espersen-Peters, Kurt

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Kunst Kunstgeschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction: Ruskin and Decay 1. The World of Decay 2. The Emergence of Decay 3. The Theories of Decay 4. The Wisdom of Decay Conclusion: Reflections on Decay

Über Autor(innen)

Kurt Espersen-Peters is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Manitoba, Canada