Venice holds a unique place in literary and cultural history; for centuries artists and writers have been drawn to the city and its 'dreamlike' ambience. But Venice's allure has led to its appropriation by various political movements. Barnes looks at the themes of war, occupation, resistance and fascism to see how the political background has affected the literary works that have come out of this great city. He focuses on key British and American writers, including Byron, Ruskin, Pound and Eliot, to produce an innovative study of the literary influence of social and political upheaval.