Genius Loci: An Essay on the Meanings of Place

Hardback

Main Details

Title Genius Loci: An Essay on the Meanings of Place
Authors and Contributors      By (author) John Dixon Hunt
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:248
Dimensions(mm): Height 210,Width 159
Category/GenreTheory of art
ISBN/Barcode 9781789146080
ClassificationsDewey:712
Audience
General

Publishing Details

Publisher Reaktion Books
Imprint Reaktion Books
NZ Release Date 1 February 2023
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

From literature to landscape architecture, an expansive, contemplative exploration of the significance of place. For ancient Romans, genius loci was literally "the genius of the place," the presiding divinity who inhabited a site and gave it meaning. While we are less attuned to divinity today, we still sense that a place has significance. In this book, eminent garden historian John Dixon Hunt explores genius loci in many settings, including contemporary land art, the paintings of Paul and John Nash, travel writers such as Henry James, Paul Theroux, and Lawrence Durrell on Provence, Mexico, and Cyprus, and landscape architects who invent new meanings for a site. This book is a nuanced, thoughtful exploration of how places become more significant to us through the myriad ways we see, talk about, and remember them.

Author Biography

John Dixon Hunt is professor emeritus of the history and theory of landscape at the University of Pennsylvania. His many books include Historical Ground and The Art of Ruskin and the Spirit of Place, the latter also published by Reaktion Books.