Thanks to Karen Jolly and Jim Bugslag for their Panofsky
testimonials.
Jim's response, comming from an Art Historian, was to be
expected (though I have to say thanks, Jim, for the references
which I had not seen).
Karen partly answers the thrust of my enquiry: that Panofsky
is known among (Real) Historians as well.
But this is a list full of Historians of Religion and Theology (no?).
It was their reactions (if any) to this (for us) important book
that I was curious about.
Is Panofsky read in those rarified circles or is he just a hit among
the groundlings?
Not just idle curiousity, I hope.
Best to all,
Christopher
"Lurkers of the List Arise!
"You have nothing to loose but your names!"
--G. Marx
--------------------------------
Previously I wrote:
>Dear Listers,
Last week I had occasion to drop on this list an important
name/book in Art Historical circles:
>>This idea of the *infinite divisibility* of the material world lies at
the heart of the "medieval world view", to the extent we can talk
of such a construct (cf. Erwin Panofsky's _Gothic Architecture and
Scholasticism_ [1951]).>>
>The next day I happened to pick up a copy of this little (88pp.+ notes)
but dense book--which I hadn't read in several decades--at a book sale
and am working my way through it again, with even greater respect for
it than I had before.
>Rather than believe that no one commented on my scentilating idea
because it was foolish or, alas, just plain wrong, I prefer an idea
that came to me via a little voice:
>Is Panofsky's book known in theological circles at all?
>I can't recall ever seeing an opinion of it from an historian of religion/
theology. Is this because it is unknown in those rarified regions or
because it is just dismissed out of hand as the ininformed work of an
outsider?
>Panofsky cites a few secondary sources (from the turn of the century), but
most of his exposition of theological ideas seems to be based on his own
reading (and mastering, it seems to this layman) of the original works--in
Latin.
>I'd be interested to hear any "professional" opinions of the book by the
learned folks on this list.
Christopher
Christopher Crockett
[log in to unmask]
Christopher's Book Room
P.O. Box 1061
Bloomington, IN 44702
Future owner of: Centre des Etudes Chartraines,
a home on the Web for Chartres-related scholarship
from all disciplines, comming soon to a web site near you.
Apologies for this wretched junk-mail message
(I can't stop 'em):
____________________________________________________________________
More than just email--Get your FREE Netscape WebMail account today at http://home.netscape.com/netcenter/mail
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|