ldquo;If good design tells the truth;rdquo; writes Robert Grudin in this path-breaking book on esthetics and authority; ldquo;poor design tells a lie; a lie usually related . . . to the getting or abusing of power.rdquo;From the ornate cathedrals of Renaissance Europe to the much-maligned Ford Edsel of the late 1950s; all products of human design communicate much more than their mere intended functions. Design holds both psychological and moral power over us; and these forces may be manipulated; however subtly; to surprising effect. In an argument that touches upon subjects as seemingly unrelated as the Japanese tea ceremony; Italian mannerist painting; and Thomas Jeffersonrsquo;s Monticello plantation; Grudin turns his attention to the role of design in our daily lives; focusing especially on how political and economic powers impress themselves on us through the built environment.Although architects and designers will find valuable insights here; Grudinrsquo;s intended audience is not exclusively the trained expert but all those who use designs and live within them every day.
#3199703 in eBooks 2009-01-01 2009-01-01File Name: B0036BIOUI
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The book arrived in timely fashion and in very good shape. It was also nicely packagedBy JRGThe book arrived in timely fashion and in very good shape. It was also nicely packaged. The print of this edition is a bit small and the paper a bit gray but well worth the price. The plays are funny as can be. Wilde is a treat.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Giving the Devil the Best LinesBy J C E HitchcockIn the late nineteenth century the French dramatist Alexandre Dumas fils coined the term "theacute;atre utile". or "useful theatre". to describe the sort of dramas which he himself specialised in. He used the theatre as a tool to examine controversial issues of his day and to suggest solutions to specific social problems. For this he was mocked by the poet Theacute;ophile Gautier. who famously remarked that "Everything that is useful is ugly. The most useful place in a house is the lavatory".Gautier was an adherent of Aestheticism. the creed of Art for Arts Sake. According to this creed. the artists only duty to society was to furnish it with examples of beauty. not to reform it by entering into social or political controversies. Oscar Wilde is widely regarded as a leading British exponent of Aestheticism. so it came as something of a surprise to discover that. of the four "drawing-room comedies" on which his fame as a dramatist today largely rests. only one. "The Importance of Being Earnest". is a pure comedy. The other three are "problem plays" social satires which explore issues similar to those raised by Dumas; political and financial corruption in "An Ideal Husband" (a play which retains its topical relevance even today). adultery. illegitimacy and unmarried motherhood in "Lady Windermeres Fan" and "A Woman of No Importance".The significance of these sexual topics to Dumas can be explained by the fact that he was himself the illegitimate son of an unmarried mother; he may have borne the name of his famous father. but it was not the one he was born with. Their significance to Wilde can be explained by the fact that. as a homosexual. he belonged to a group even more stigmatised in Victorian society than unfaithful wives or unmarried mothers. Like some other writers of his day. notably Hardy in "Tess of the DUrbervilles". he was concerned by the double standards whereby women who sinned against the code of sexual morality were judged more harshly than men who did the same.All three "problem plays" have certain features in common. Each is set among the English upper-class. at their stately homes or London town houses. Each has at its centre a character with a guilty secret from his or her past. (Mrs Erlynne in "Lady Windermeres Fan". Mrs Arbuthnot in "A Woman of No Importance" and Sir Robert Chiltern in "An Ideal Husband"). Each features an idealistic young woman with a strong belief in love and honour. (Lady Windermere herself. Hester Worsley and Gertrude Chiltern). Each combines serious drama with a good deal of witty dialogue. often of a satirical nature. Each has a happy ending. with love triumphant. the sins of the past forgiven and the villains thwarted. The underlying message is that love and forgiveness. not the rigid moralism of Victorian England. are the essence of Christian ethics.Wildes villains (Lord Darlington. Lord Illingworth. Mrs Cheveley) are interesting characters. They are intelligent and witty. coming out with some of the authors most celebrated bons mots. but behind this wit and intelligence lies a cynical. selfish and mean-spirited view of life. (Prince Paul Maraloffski in "Vera. or the Nihilists" is an early example of this type). Wilde clearly appreciated the value of giving the devil the best lines. although I wish that the authors of books of "quotable quotations" would realise that these devilishly witty observations do not always represent his personal opinions.Besides the four drawing-room comedies. this volume also contains two unfinished fragments. "A Florentine Tragedy" and "La Sainte Courtisane". and three other completed plays. "Vera". "The Duchess of Parma" and "Salome". All three have exotic settings. "Vera" is set in Russia under the rule of a fictitious Tsar Ivan. a ruler so cruel and tyrannical that he has alienated not only most of his subjects but even his own son Alexis. who has joined a revolutionary group seeking to overthrow his father. (The Vera of the title is a fellow-revolutionary with whom Alexis falls in love). When Ivan is assassinated Alexis takes the throne and sets in motion a series of liberal reforms. but now becomes a target for his former comrades. This was Wildes first play. written in 1880. a year before the relatively liberal Tsar Alexander II was assassinated and succeeded by his deeply reactionary son Alexander III- an example of life imitating art. but in a distorting mirror. Following the Tsars murder. political considerations made it impossible for the play to be produced in Britain. although that might have been just as well; with its melodramatic plot and overblown language it is not one of Wildes best."Salome" was originally written in French. although only the English version is printed here. It tells the well-known story of Salome and John the Baptist (here referred to as Jokanaan) and is very brief. only a single act. Wildes prose is even more extravagant than in "Vera"; he appears to have been trying to imitate some of the more poetic passages in the Bible. especially the Song of Solomon. I suspect that this language would sound rather odd on the stage. but on the printed page it has a strange. lush. overripe poetry to it."The Duchess of Parma" is a blank-verse drama set in sixteenth-century Italy. (The unfinished "Florentine Tragedy" was also a play of this sort). It is a melodramatic tale of passion and revenge about an adulterous affair between the Duchess of the title and the young man who has sworn to kill her wicked husband. who was responsible for the death of his father. (These events are wholly fictitious; in the sixteenth century Parma was part of the Venetian Republic. not an independent dukedom). Like many nineteenth century verse dramas it shows all too obviously the influence of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. especially John Webster. and is probably Wildes worst play. "Vera" and "Salome" have their faults. but at least they are authentic Wilde. not third-rate cod-Shakespeare.From Wildes worst play to his greatest. "The Importance of Being Earnest" is a dual romantic comedy. following the adventures of two young men about town. Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieffe. as they pursue two young ladies. Gwendolen Fairfax (who happens to be Algernons cousin) and Cecily Cardew (who happens to be Jacks ward). The title derives from the fact that both Jack and Algernon. for reasons too complex to explain here. both pretend to be Jacks (non-existent) brother Ernest. There is no hint of "useful theatre" about this play. and Wildes humour is gentler than in his "problem plays". although just as effective. making great use of paradox and social comment. It is one of the most sparklingly witty plays in the English language. and alone justifies giving this volume five stars.
