Results by title

60 books match the query 'Britain' and 2 start with f

cover of Fabricating the Antique: Neoclassicism in Britain, 1760-1800

Fabricating the Antique

Neoclassicism in Britain, 1760-1800

Viccy Coltman

University of Chicago Press, 2006

Between 1760 and 1800, British aristocrats became preoccupied with the acquisition of ancient Greek and Roman artifacts. From marble busts to intricately painted vases, these antiquities were amassed in vast collections held in country houses and libraries throughout Britain. In Fabricating the Antique, Viccy Coltman examines these objects and their owners, as well as dealers, restorers, designers, and manufacturers. She provides a close look at the classical revival that resulted in this obsession with collecting antiques.

Looking at the theoretical foundations of neoclassicism, Coltman contends this reinvention of ancient material culture was more than a fabrication of style. Based in the strong emphasis on classical education during this time, neoclassicism, Coltman claims, could be more accurately described as a style of thought translated into material possessions. Fabricating the Antique is a new take on both well-known collections of ancient art and newly cataloged artifacts. This book also covers how these objects—once removed from their original context—were received, preserved, and displayed. Art historians, classicists, and archaeologists alike will benefit from this important examination of British eighteenth-century history.
[more]
cover of Film, Drama and the Break Up of Britain

Film, Drama and the Break Up of Britain

Steve Blandford

Intellect Books, 1995

When the sun set on the British Empire, the resultant fragmentation of British identity emerged most tellingly in artistic works: cinematic works such as Howards End depicted a richly historical land steeped in tradition and tragedy, while the more modern Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels revealed a brutal yet sharply humorous portrayal of contemporary English life. That relationship between nationalism, national identity, and postcolonialism remains central to many British dramatists’ works, and in Film, Drama and the Break Up of Britain, Steve Blandford explores how the “break up” of Britain has influenced contemporary British drama.

            Breaking down the scholarly barriers between theater and film studies, Blandford examines British directors’ interpretations of their nation’s postcolonial age, tracing the various ways that auteurs have created dramatic narratives that explore the idea of being “British” and all its inherent complexity.  From community-based theaters in Scotland and Wales to the blockbuster The Full Monty, Blandford probes the cultural impact of Britain’s struggle to form a new identity, making his book an essential read for all those interested in postcolonial studies and the history of British film.

“The perfect primer for anyone looking to obtain an overview of what has been happening within British culture over the past decade. [Blandford] has an accessible style, his analysis is sharp, his arguments clear and persuasive, and by virtue of the breadth of his focus, this study is certain to remain a valuable resource as notions of cultural identity across the British Isles continue to provoke debate.”—Owen Evans, Media Wales Journal
“The author examines how recent theatre and cinema have reflected and critiqued emerging ways of imagining Britishness. Blandford is a lucid writer whose chapter on Irish film is a deft round-up of existing critical opinions on the topic.”—Ruth Barton, Film Ireland
 
 
[more]