Invisible Architecture in Nineteenth-Century Literature: Rethinking Urban Modernity

In his book "Invisible Architecture," Ben Moore explores how nineteenth-century literature portrays urban modernity through hidden, mobile, and transparent features of city space, challenging narratives of progress from concealment to transparency. Part I examines three writers and their cities, while Part II analyzes three spatial forms that have not usually been considered features of modernity.

Format: Hardback
Length: 274 pages
Publication date: 31 January 2024
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Ben Moore offers a fresh perspective on reading urban modernity in nineteenth-century literature by integrating hidden, mobile, and transparent aspects of city space into a unified system known as "invisible architecture." Contrary to narratives that portray the nineteenth century as moving from concealment to transparency, Moore argues for a dynamic interplay between these tendencies. This book is divided into two parts. Part I explores new readings of three writers and their cities: Elizabeth Gaskell and Manchester, Charles Dickens and London, and Emile Zola and Paris. It focuses on the cellar, the railway, and the department store, respectively, highlighting their significance in shaping nineteenth-century modernity. Part II takes a broader approach by examining three spatial forms that are often overlooked in discussions of nineteenth-century modernity: the Gothic cathedral, the arabesque, and white walls. Through these readings, the book expands our understanding of the unevenness of modernity during this period.

Weight: 567g
Dimension: 234 x 156 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399508483