Stones of Venice [introductions] gathers the introductory material to John Ruskin’s monumental study of Venetian architecture, in which the great Victorian critic argued that the moral and spiritual condition of a society is revealed in its buildings. Ruskin traces the rise and fall of Venice through its Byzantine, Gothic, and Renaissance architecture, treating ornament and structure as expressions of faith and labor.
These introductory essays set out the themes and method of the larger work, including Ruskin’s celebrated defense of the Gothic and the dignity of the craftsman. Passionate and densely argued, his prose elevates architectural criticism into moral philosophy. The selection offers a concentrated entry into one of the most influential and impassioned works ever written about architecture.