http://lists1.cac.psu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind9904&L=design-l&T
=0&O=A&P=6045
wishful thinking or part of a novel idea?
[It's interesting how FIVE PEOPLE YOU'LL MEET IN HEAVEN and
IL CAMPO MARZIO start in the same fashion--comparing:
Chapter One
The End
This is a story about a man named Eddie and it begins at the
end, with Eddie dying in the sun. It might seem strange to
start a story with an ending. But all endings are also
beginnings. We just don't know it at the time.
Mitch Albom, the five people you meet in heaven, 23
September 2003.
So, now that you have a fairly good idea of who Ambrose and
Theodosius are,
it is time to learn more of Honorius (the younger son of
Theodosius who is
now Emperor of the West) and his wife Maria. Honorius was
the last ancient
ruler to [re]build the walls of Rome (because of the "Gothic
Wars" --
Christian "Goths" that is) and he also built an imperial
mausoleum attached
to the original Basilica of St. Peter's. Sometime in the
1500s the
sarcophagus of Maria was discovered (very likely while the
old basilica was
being demolished to make way for the new/present one). The
sarcophagus of
Maria may well be the last substantial imperial artifact of
(the city of)
Rome, and after an illustrious title page and a
frontispiece, it is an image
of the sarcophagus of Maria that Piranesi uses to begin his
CAMPO MARZIO
publication. In a most elegantly covert way, Piranesi began
the 'history' of
the CAMPO MARZIO with what is really it's ending, and what
is probably the
world's greatest designed architectural inversionary double
theater goes on
from there.
Stephen Lauf, "Re: lack of life", 19 January 2002.
Re: lack of life:
http://lists1.cac.psu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0201&L=design-l&P
=R14097&I=-3 ]
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