Arquitectura gótica en Gran Bretaña: algunas observaciones sobre la literatura y las investigaciones actuales

Abstract

The study of English Gothic architecture is now a multidisciplinary occupation, as scholars from various backgrounds apply different methodologies and techniques. This article considers the strengths and limitations of recent scholarship, stressing the need for new conceptual frameworks to replace the traditional linear narrative. There is still uncertainty about whether the history of architecture should be concerned principally with style and the elite monuments or with buildings of every type and status. The article goes on to review some pertinent issues in the light of recent publications: how and why did England formulate an alternative Gothic, to what extent did English architecture reflect a growing sense of national identity, and how were the buildings used and understood by contemporaries? It highlights the colonial dimension of English Gothic as reflected in Scotland and Ireland, and concludes by stressing the need for a more European and less anglo-centric approach.