In The Cemeteries of New Orleans; Peter B. Dedek reveals the origins and evolution of the Crescent Cityrsquo;s world-famous necropolises; exploring both their distinctive architecture and their cultural impact. Spanning centuries; this fascinating body of research takes readers from muddy fields of crude burial markers to extravagantly designed cities of the dead; illuminating a vital and vulnerable piece of New Orleansrsquo;s identity. Where many histories of New Orleans cemeteries have revolved around the famous people buried within them; Dedek focuses on the marble cutters; burial society members; journalists; and tourists who shaped these graveyards into internationally recognizable emblems of the city. In addition to these cultural actors; Dedekrsquo;s exploration of cemetery architecture reveals the impact of ancient and medieval grave traditions and styles; the cityrsquo;s geography; and the arrival of trained European tomb designers; such as the French architect J. N. B. de Pouilly in 1833 and Italian artist and architect Pietro Gualdi in 1851. As Dedek shows; the nineteenth century was a particularly critical era in the cityrsquo;s cemetery design. Notably; the cemeteries embodied traditional French and Spanish precedents; until the first garden cemeterymdash;the Metairie Cemeterymdash;was built on the site of an old racetrack in 1872. Like the older walled cemeteries; this iconic venue served as a lavish expression of fraternal and ethnic unity; a backdrop to exuberant social celebrations; and a destination for sightseeing excursions. During this time; cultural and religious practices; such as the celebration of All Saintsrsquo; Day and the practice of Voodoo rituals; flourished within the spatial bounds of these resting places. Over the course of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries; however; episodes of neglect and destruction gave rise to groups that aimed to preserve the historic cemeteries of New Orleansmdash;an endeavor; which; according to Dedek; is still wanting for resources and political will. Containing ample primary source material; abundant illustrations; appendices on both tomb styles and the history of each of the cityrsquo;s eighteenth- and nineteenth-century cemeteries; The Cemeteries of New Orleans offers a comprehensive and intriguing resource on these fascinating historic sites.
#196214 in eBooks 2016-11-17 2016-11-17File Name: B01M7MHEVR
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Classic English EccentricityBy T. Burrows"The Restoration of Arnold Middleton" is the earliest. and the best. play in this collection. In fact there was such a discrepancy of style between Middleton and the other two works that I found it hard to believe that they were written by the same man. The less exciting plays were both rather dull English family tales. full of monologues and lacking in dramatic action. The good one was written when the author was 28 and went unproduced for several years before it finally made a big splash on the stage. Storey was also a professional rugby player and is best known for his novel "This Sporting Life."​Middleton is the witty and confusing story of an odd. bombastic schoolteacher who lives with his wife and her mother. His wife is at odds with the both of them. and Middleton blatantly flirts with his mother-in-law. Some of the story (and there isnt much of one) deals with a coat of armor that Middleton has brought home with him. It is a tribute to the verve of the dialogue and screwy relationships of the story that the play is fascinating in spite of its lack of a plot. A couple of other characters show up: one of Middletons colleagues. a suave fellow named Hanson who brings along one of their young female students that he plans to bed. Middleton gives the okay to have the dirty deed done in his home. but all of the characters end up getting drunk together and behaving ridiculously. and it is unclear how things turn out. Can you imagine something like this happening these days? I cant.Middleton is blatantly jealous of his colleagues good fortune. and Mrs. Middleton is jealous of her mother for the attention she is drawing from her husband. The characters break into hilarious doggerel and make goofy comments whose meanings are hard to make out. The piece has a light. irreverent. sixties feel and seems to be influenced by the theatre of the absurd movement of the fifties. In the end there is a revelation about the main character. but this "resolution" seems more like an excuse to end the proceedings than a convincing conclusion. Despite this. the play is a classic piece of English eccentricity and remains full of lively. weird fun from beginning to end. It would be interesting to see this on stage. but it is so English that I doubt it ever gets performed in the USA.
