Ruskin in Perspective: Contemporary Essays

Moving laterally across John Ruskin’s complete work, this new anthology draws his ideas together around the common theme of perspective. Grouped into three parts (Art and Literature, Aesthetics and Politics, Geography and Landscape), the essays examine Ruskin’s critical intervention both within its own period and in relation to its contemporary legacy. Drawing upon literary theory, art criticism, political, social and cultural history and biographical studies, the essays offer a new and exciting interdisciplinary approach to understanding the scale and relevance of Ruskin’s thought. Topics include the role of the reader in Ruskin’s work, Anglo-European encounters, Ruskin’s style and political influence, national and cultural heritage, the aesthetics of painting, perspective and the sublime, and the impact of geology and evolutionary theory upon Ruskin and nineteenth-century culture. Illustrated throughout with examples from Ruskin’s own art-work as well as the artists admired by him (such as J.M.W. Turner), the anthology will be invaluable for readers interested not only in Ruskin as writer, critic and commentator but also in his position within the changing currents of nineteenth and twentieth-century intellectual thought.

This collection shows how Ruskin can still teach us to read and see. It breathes enthusiasm and scholarly care in a way that will appeal to a wide range of readers. I am very impressed by the wealth of illustration in the book, which seems to me indispensable for an understanding of Ruskin's thought and its relevance to us. The choice of contributors is harmonious and refreshing - established authorities rub shoulders with rising scholars. This really is an unusually vibrant, well thought-through and valuable collection on a key formative figure in the history of literature, art and criticism.