The Stones of Venice

Who do you think is the primary audience for The Stones of Venice? What literary elements does Ruskin use to engage readers and make architecture more accessible to the non-specialist?

Ruskin mixes a number of literary genres in the book: instruction manual, travel book, historical treatise, and philosophical essay. What is the wider significance of each of these generic styles in The Stones of Venice? How do these different styles reflect and illustrate Ruskin’s key themes and ideas?

Analyze Ruskin’s comparisons of Gothic and Renaissance architecture. What is the significance of his characterization of each? How does his analysis of these historical styles reflect the beliefs and anxieties of 19th-century England?