Myths in Stone: Religious Dimensions of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., is a city of powerful symbols-from the dominance of the Capitol dome and Washington Monument to the authority of the Smithsonian. This book takes us on a fascinating and informative tour of the nation's capital as Jeffrey F. Meyer unravels the complex symbolism of the city and explores its meaning for our national consciousness. Meyer finds that mythic and religious themes pervade the capital-in its original planning, in its monumental architecture, and in the ritualized events that have taken place over the 200 years the city has been the repository for the symbolism of the nation. As Meyer tours the city's famous axial layout, he discusses many historical figures and events, compares Washington to other great cities of the world such as Beijing and Berlin, and discusses the meaning and history of its architecture and many works of art. Treating Washington, D.C., as a complex religious center, Meyer finds that the city functions as a unifying element in American consciousness. This book will change the way we look at Washington, D.C., and provide a provocative new look at the meaning of religion in America today. It will also be a valuable companion for those traveling to this city that was envisioned from its inception as the center of the world.

Table of Contents:
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Introduction PART I The Axis of Power Reflections: On Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House I Capital and Capitol: City at the Center of the World 2 A Balancing Act: Pennsylvania Avenue and Power 3 A "National Church" and Its Holy Scriptures PART II The Axis of Enlightenment Reflections: From the White House to the jefferson Memorial 4 The White House and Presidential Religion 5 The Washington Monument: Enigma Variations 6 The Jefferson Memorial: Image of Enlightenment Faith PART III The Axis of Memory Reflections: From Arlington Cemetery to the Capitol 7 Memento Mori: The Lincoln Memorial and the Honored Dead 8 The Changing Meaning of the National Mall 9 Back to the Capitol: Artists' Voices NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX

About the Author :
Jeffrey F. Meyer is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. He is the author of The Dragons of Tiananmen: Beijing as a Sacred City (1991).

Review :
"Meyer is a seasoned guide leading the reader through the swamps, thickets, and political sticky wickets of the history of this capital city on the banks of the Potomac. All the while, he regales the reader with tales of the motley cast, the noble and the not-so-noble, the visionaries and the near-sighted, who helped to create the capital as we know it today. No other work captures the ongoing nature of the multiple retellings of this myth-in-stone as well as Meyer's has." -Gary Ebersole, author of Captured by Texts: Puritan to Postmodern Images of Indian Captivity "Jeffrey Meyer takes his readers on a very different 'tour' of Washington, D.C. He excavates the ways in which core convictions of a nation are embodied in space and expressed in art and architecture. Myths in Stone is a rich evocation of the dynamic life of America's sacred center." -Edward T. Linenthal, author of Preserving Memory The Struggle to Create America's Holocaust Museum"