The Building in the Text

The Building in the Text: Alberti to Shakespeare and Milton, volume 1, explores the profound connection between Renaissance literature and architectural principles. Roy Eriksen examines how writers from the early modern period, spanning 1500-1700, conceived of their written works through spatial structures. By analyzing linguistic terms like plot, topos, and stanza, the author reveals the fundamental symmetries present in the writings of major figures such as Ariosto, Shakespeare, and Milton.

This scholarly work within the architecture and literature category provides new insights into the architectural ekphrases of Alberti and Vasari. It uncovers a tradition of literary architecture rooted in antiquity and the ordering principles of the cosmos. The text serves as a significant resource for historians of literature, art historians, and scholars of Italian literature and English literature. This volume 1 study offers a deep look into the intersection of rhetoric, music, and classical heritage.