A Dark Devotion
by Clare Francis
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Description
Eloquent Spaces adopts the twin analytic of meaning and community to write a fresh history of building in early India. It presents a new perspective on the principles and practices of early Indian architecture. Defining it broadly over a range of space uses, the book argues for architecture as a form of cultural production as well as public consumption. Ten chapters by leading archaeologists, architects, historians and philosophers, examining different architectural sites and landscapes, show more including Sanchi, Moodabidri, Srinagar, Chidambaram, Patan, Konark, Basgo and Puri, demonstrate the need to look beyond the built form to its spirit, beyond aesthetics to cognition, and thereby to integrating architecture with its myriad living contexts. The volume captures some of the semantic diversity inherent in premodern Indian traditions of civic building, both sacred and secular, which were, however, unified in their insistence on enacting meaning and a transcendent validity over and above utility and beauty of form. The book is a quest for a culturally rooted architecture as an alternative to the growing crisis of disembededness that informs modern praxis. This volume will be of interest to scholars and practitioners of architecture, ancient Indian history, philosophy, art history and cultural studies. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
London-based solicitor Alex O'Neill returns to the rural village where she grew up to help her old friend (and one-time flame) deal with the disappearance of his wife. Old memories blend with new and the plot takes many turns before the mystery is solved.
An interesting whodunnit, based in England. The narrator is Alex O'Neill who works as a lawyer in the city. She has been called by an old friend to help him deal with the disappearance of his wife. To add complications he is the main suspect in the entire affair.
Enough twist and turns and divided loyalties to make it very interesting but I really didn't connect with any of the characters much.
Enough twist and turns and divided loyalties to make it very interesting but I really didn't connect with any of the characters much.
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Published Reviews
ThingScore 75
Despite a tendency to revisit each piece of evidence and each increasingly self-damning bit of testimony perhaps one time too many, Francis (Betrayal, 2002, etc.) digs satisfyingly deep into her characters and the soil from which they’ve sprung.
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4,052 works; 110 members
Author Information
38+ Works 2,051 Members
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- A Dark Devotion
- Original title
- A Dark Devotion
- Original publication date
- 1998
- Dedication
- For Tom
- First words
- A familiar three-rap knock and the smooth untroubled face of Sturgess appeared around the door, bringing the drift of raucous voices in his wake. 'Champagne's flowing, Alex.'
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I drove him to Marsh House to pick up his car and stood at the gate in the soft summer night to wave him off.
- Original language
- English UK
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 225
- Popularity
- 144,793
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.04)
- Languages
- Danish, English, German, Swedish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 28
- ASINs
- 3
