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Americas Rome: Classical Rome
Americas Classical Rome [Mar 01, 1990] Vance, William L.
- GenresNonfiction
Hardcover
First published August 1, 1989
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 10, 2025
I bought this two-volume set with the erroneous assumption that it would focus on ways in which American architecture was influenced by ancient Rome. As it turned out, the book devotes relatively little space to architecture, although it is still quite interesting.
The author, a professor at Boston University, offers a wide-ranging discussion to explain how arts and culture in the city of Rome influenced American literature, art and understanding of Europe. The first volume concentrates on the influence of ancient Rome, while the second volume concentrates on Catholic and modern Rome. At some times in history, Americans were happy to absorb and copy work from Rome, but in other contexts Americans distinguished their own works as being more moral and democratic in spirit. When the Fifth Army was approaching Rome from the south in World War II, Americans were welcome, and English tutors were much in demand.
Professor Vance organizes his book by category. In volume 1, he selects topics like the Colosseum, the countryside of the Campagna, the Pantheon, and the Vatican sculpture collection. In volume 2, he concentrates on the influence of popes, especially in the 19th and 20th Centuries. He also devotes considerable space to American impressions of Mussolini and his Fascist movement.
He collects examples from memoirs of travelers like Mark Twain, novels by authors like Nathaniel Hawthorne, and American artists who came to Rome, like Rembrandt Peale, Thomas Cole, John Singleton Copley, and Benjamin West. Both volumes are richly embellished with black-and-white and color illustrations, mostly of works of art. By the time you finish the book, you will feel like you have experienced life in Rome from many perspectives.
The author, a professor at Boston University, offers a wide-ranging discussion to explain how arts and culture in the city of Rome influenced American literature, art and understanding of Europe. The first volume concentrates on the influence of ancient Rome, while the second volume concentrates on Catholic and modern Rome. At some times in history, Americans were happy to absorb and copy work from Rome, but in other contexts Americans distinguished their own works as being more moral and democratic in spirit. When the Fifth Army was approaching Rome from the south in World War II, Americans were welcome, and English tutors were much in demand.
Professor Vance organizes his book by category. In volume 1, he selects topics like the Colosseum, the countryside of the Campagna, the Pantheon, and the Vatican sculpture collection. In volume 2, he concentrates on the influence of popes, especially in the 19th and 20th Centuries. He also devotes considerable space to American impressions of Mussolini and his Fascist movement.
He collects examples from memoirs of travelers like Mark Twain, novels by authors like Nathaniel Hawthorne, and American artists who came to Rome, like Rembrandt Peale, Thomas Cole, John Singleton Copley, and Benjamin West. Both volumes are richly embellished with black-and-white and color illustrations, mostly of works of art. By the time you finish the book, you will feel like you have experienced life in Rome from many perspectives.
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September 9, 2010BOR-ing. Purchased as it was the basis of important exhibit at the Fenimore that year. Both were a bust, as far as I was concerned. They were both about Americans who studied in Rome and were influenced by it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews