| Visions of Persia: Mapping the Travels of Adam Olearius Contributor(s): Brancaforte, Elio (Author) |
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ISBN: 0674012542 ISBN-13: 9780674012547 Publisher: Harvard University Department of Comparative OUR PRICE: $27.23 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: January 2004 Annotation: This work examines the travel account of a German baroque author who journeyed in search of silk from Northern Germany, through Muscovy, to the court of Shah Safi in Isfahan. Adam Olearius introduced Persian literature, history, and arts to the German-speaking public; his frank appraisal of Persian customs foreshadows the enlightened spirit of the eighteenth century (influencing Montesquieu's "Persian Letters" as well as Goethe's "West-Eastern Divan") and prepares the way for German Romanticism's infatuation with Persian poetry. Brancaforte focuses on the visual and discursive nexus uniting Olearius's text with the numerous engravings that supplement the book. The emphasis falls on contextualized readings of Olearius's decorative frontispieces and his new and improved map of Persia and the Caspian Sea, as expressions of early modern subjectivity. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | Middle Eastern - Travel | Special Interest - Adventure |
| Dewey: 915.504 |
| LCCN: 2003112568 |
| Series: Harvard Studies in Comparative Literature (Paperback) |
| Physical Information: 0.81" H x 6.26" W x 9.2" (0.94 lbs) 238 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Middle East |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: This work examines the travel account of a German baroque author who journeyed in search of silk from Northern Germany, through Muscovy, to the court of Shah Safi in Isfahan. Adam Olearius introduced Persian literature, history, and arts to the German-speaking public; his frank appraisal of Persian customs foreshadows the enlightened spirit of the eighteenth century (influencing Montesquieu's Persian Letters as well as Goethe's West-Eastern Divan) and prepares the way for German Romanticism's infatuation with Persian poetry. Brancaforte focuses on the visual and discursive nexus uniting Olearius's text with the numerous engravings that supplement the book. The emphasis falls on contextualized readings of Olearius's decorative frontispieces and his new and improved map of Persia and the Caspian Sea, as expressions of early modern subjectivity. |
Contributor Bio(s): Brancaforte, Elio: - Elio Brancaforte is Assistant Professor of German at Tulane University. |