When Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE, the force of the explosion blew the
top right off the mountain, burying nearby Pompeii in a shower of
volcanic ash. Ironically, the calamity that proved so lethal for
Pompeii's inhabitants preserved the city for centuries, leaving
behind a snapshot of Roman daily life that has captured the
imagination of generations. The experience of Pompeii always
reflects a particular time and sensibility, says Ingrid Rowland.
From Pompeii: The Afterlife of a Roman Town explores the
fascinating variety of these different experiences, as described by
the artists, writers, actors, and others who have toured the
excavated site. The city's houses, temples, gardens--and traces of
Vesuvius's human victims--have elicited responses ranging from awe
to embarrassment, with shifting cultural tastes playing an
important role. The erotic frescoes that appalled
eighteenth-century viewers inspired Renoir to change the way he
painted. For Freud, visiting Pompeii was as therapeutic as a
session of psychoanalysis. Crown Prince Hirohito, arriving in the
Bay of Naples by battleship, found Pompeii interesting, but
Vesuvius, to his eyes, was just an ugly version of Mount Fuji.
Rowland treats readers to the distinctive, often quirky responses
of visitors ranging from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Charles Dickens,
and Mark Twain to Roberto Rossellini and Ingrid Bergman. Interwoven
throughout a narrative lush with detail and insight is the thread
of Rowland's own impressions of Pompeii, where she has returned
many times since first visiting in 1962.
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