Regarding Manneken Pis
Culture, Celebration and Conflict in Brussels
Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Foreign Languages, Language Arts
| Author: | Catherine Emerson | ISBN: | 9781351551731 |
| Publisher: | Taylor and Francis | Publication: | July 5, 2017 |
| Imprint: | Routledge | Language: | English |
| Author: | Catherine Emerson |
| ISBN: | 9781351551731 |
| Publisher: | Taylor and Francis |
| Publication: | July 5, 2017 |
| Imprint: | Routledge |
| Language: | English |
Manneken Pis, a fountain featuring a bronze child urinating, has stood on the same Brussels street corner since at least the mid-fifteenth century. Since there is no consensus on its meaning, it has been used to express many different readings of social relations in a complex city and nation state. It has formed part of the festival culture of the city - from royal entries to gay pride - but has also been exploited in conflicts arising out of war and occupation, and the tensions inherent in modern Belgium. Drawing on archives, histories, police reports, devotional literature, ephemera and a wealth of other sources, Catherine Emerson examines how one smaller-than-lifesized water source has come to embody a certain sort of Brussels identity.
Manneken Pis, a fountain featuring a bronze child urinating, has stood on the same Brussels street corner since at least the mid-fifteenth century. Since there is no consensus on its meaning, it has been used to express many different readings of social relations in a complex city and nation state. It has formed part of the festival culture of the city - from royal entries to gay pride - but has also been exploited in conflicts arising out of war and occupation, and the tensions inherent in modern Belgium. Drawing on archives, histories, police reports, devotional literature, ephemera and a wealth of other sources, Catherine Emerson examines how one smaller-than-lifesized water source has come to embody a certain sort of Brussels identity.
