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Summary: Author's Running Commentary on 500 Yrs. culture
Review: Noted author and historian thematically runs through 500 years of Western civilization. His sweep his broad and primarily deals specifically with the arts take and reaction to cultural shifts, looking in the macro sense at literature, art, drama, music, etc.He has a penchant to focus on rather obscure historially speaking individuals whom the author feels typify the times and impacted them, e.g. Walter Bagehot of late nineteenth century times. One of the few periods where I am well familiar, the Reformation, Barzun writes in a very biased and modernistic way, rather than paint the period disattached. For example, he incorrectly attributes "consubstantiation" to the Lutherans, and chides Luther for his views of inerrancy. These and other errors made this reader wary of his writing into history much of his modern viewpoint, rather than reporting what happened. His organizational flow of ideas was helpful. His writing style is concise and vocabulary loaded (one will spend time in the dictionary with this one). A work to reflect and check back on as one reads with specific periods.
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Summary: One of My All-Time Favorite Books
Review: The amazing thing about this work is how easily and quickly it reads. For a book that records the history of Western civilization as we know it, that's not very easy to do. Moreover, it's an incredibly useful reference guide because of its format. If you want to know what the humanists were all about, for example, you can find it quickly and easily and get a good grasp of the information in a short period of time. This book reads like a novel and is packed with an amazing amount of knowledge. It makes you feel smart. I couldn't recommend it more.
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Summary: not for your average Joe
Review: Mr. Barzun is a mature writer with encyclopedic knowledge (and apparently, memory) who has set forth all that he knows and that you don't want to know about the last 500 years. This book is for college professors and pedants, not for the reader looking for an interesting well-written treatise on the history of the world, part II. The book does NOT, repeat NOT, exhibit a coherent theme as advertised, but merely displays Barzun's monumental knowledge resulting in huzzahs from the cognoscenti but crashing boredom for the average Joe.
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Summary: Not for the faint-hearted reader
Review: If you read only coupon clippings & magazine articles, this book is most definitely not for you! This is for the serious reader & historian only. Lots of wonderful, fascinating facts, though you might want to have that thesaurus on hand for certains words NOT used in everyday conversation. All in all an excellent companion book for history buffs...
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Summary: The first classic of the new millenium.
Review: I was pleasantly surprised when I read this book. Nowadays it is considered taboo to discuss western culture--unless one is speaking of it's evils. After I bought the book I regretted it; I thought I had wasted my money on a polically correct rag of revisionist history. I was wrong. Barzun presents the world's greatest culture in a level-headed, objective light. He is able to see reality past all the warm and fussiness that is presently so pervasive, and is not afraid to show it. This book sketches out the past 500 years of Western culture through history's true shaping force--ideas. You won't find all of the dry facts that you would expect from a history book, instead you'll find the ideas that have shaped Western culture and the ones intent on it's demise. If you're looking for a book to intensify your self-righteous P.C. intoxication, look elsewhere; there's no false history or Western culture bashing here. If, on the other hand, you're looking for a true liberal education dripping with literary flavor and wit, look no further.
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Summary: Why can't history textbooks be written this way?
Review: From Dawn to Decadence is the story of the West (at least since 1500) par excellence. Yes, it is written from one man's perspective, and thus opinions as opposed to strict facts occasionally slip in. But all history is written from a point of view if it is written well at all. The author acquaints the reader with the personalities of the people who shaped history, not merely the names, and he supports his sketches of people with their own words quoted in the margins. Many of these quotes are just priceless and would make the book worth purchasing on their own merit. But the fact remains that From Dawn to Decadence is a pleasure to read. I love the way the authors gives the "big picture" rather than dividing history into military history, religious history, literary history, etc. He has written the story as it should be written--as one tapestry that includes all of the disciplines. This one will be on my shelf next to my Timetables of History (Grun).
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Summary: Not an Easy Book but Very Worthwhile
Review: This book will give you a good overview of the last 500 years of Western Civilization. I did find it much stronger in the first part of the book (the Renaissance & Reformation) than I did with recent history. I think that reflects the predilection of the author as well as the fact that for recent history perspective is lacking. It is hard to write history while one is experiencing it. In light of recent events, the author might want to redo the recent history portion of the book for a new edition.
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Summary: Phenomenal Achievement by Professor Barzun- 50 stars-
Review: If a work can be predicted to last for at least 100 years,fifty stars may be appropriate. This is the culmination of a scholarly genius' work after 70 years of study and investigation. Notably, this great book can be read by even the layman with an interest in the western world since 1500, and going back earlier. The design is terrific with the best aspects of a good college textbook, in that appropriate quotes are on many pages,which clarify the points discussed. Also forward (<),and backward (>)pages on the subject are frequent to encourage browsing. Unlike textbooks, FROM DAWN TO DECADENCE supplies wry wit and humor throughout to keep you chuckling and help to turn the pages. The vast cultural history of the West (1500-2000) is covered, and you'll surely find your own favorite parts. I especially liked the Luther, Erasmus Reformation section; Oliver Cromwell; the French Revolution, Napoleon, and especially the scientific journey and exploration of Eqypt, and CROSS SECTION; CHICAGO. The ending pages may be a bit overly-political and editorial for some,though I found his comments on contemporary society illuminating. It helps that I agree with the Professor. He says the current pop scene is loaded with obscenities and junk,mentioning names of bands for youth;"Garbage", the "Sex Pistols", "Grateful Dead". etc. You may consider him an old reactionary, but at the age of 92, Professor Barzun has written one of the great treatises ever. We can hope he can continue forever...BTW, this book will never get dated, and will be something your grandchildren's children can read too.
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Summary: Ignore the Title, Buy it for the Erudition of the Author
Review: I read this book because I wanted to learn about Western cultural history; I wanted to know what authors I should read in the coming years, what painters to pay attention to when I visit museums, and what classical musicians I should listen to. The book was frequently discussed with its author on CSPAN's Book TV, and the seemingly right-wing conservative title made me hesitant to by it (it conjured images in my mind of Robert Bork's book "Slouching Toward Gomorrah"). I wanted to avoid any political slant in investing such time and money in a book. Reading Judge Bork's book never crossed my mind, knowing about him what I do, but Barzun was charming on television, and his slant looked to me to be more generational than political.
"From Dawn to Decadence" is a great book, and not only is it never a boring history lesson; it was stimulating at all times. It is a slow and often tedious read, but as any serious reader knows, most books of any value are. Barzun's erudition is astonishing, and the book is much more than a synopsis or encyclopedic examination of history.
Now, some criticism...the title is has very little to do with the book itself. He does indeed spend a few pages discussing decadence, but he addresses it to such a small extent, that it is hard to justify the title he chose (I suspect the title was chosen to stimulate demand). What little evidence he does provide to defend such a thesis is hardly worthy of discussion. He openly admitted on a talk show that he has never listened to Rock music, and he scorns television (funny to see him on CSPAN). This can be quite alienating to someone who, like me, grew up with those two institutions being a very big part of his life. The simple fact of the matter is that he probably petered out around 1940. He does not even mention Martin Heidegger in the book, and Sartre is mentioned as an aside (I sincerely doubt he read any phenomenology).
There are also some passages that caused me to wince when I read them, like the way when I listen to my grandfather talking about "the good ole days". There are several conspicuous digressions that relate very little to anything but Barzun's own old-fogginess. In the most troubling passages of the book, he laments about how pluralism reigns and that there is no "unifying faith". This is troubling as well as contradictory to richness of the rest of the text that examines the historical progression and evolution of religious thought. He doesn't argue any religious point of view, but he disparages pluralism, and even lists it as a sign of decadence. He goes out of his way to lambaste linguists who want to accommodate minorities into the vernacular. He considers the existential movement as not having any positive significance whatsoever (I got the feeling that this was because he did not understand it).
These, and other criticisms are of minor importance when taking the whole book into consideration. This is something that was well worth the time and effort, and I plan to use it as a permanent reference book of mine when deciding where and how I will pursue my Western cultural studies.
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Summary: How We've Gone From A to Z in 500 Years.
Review: If one were to sit down with a distinguished historian over several nights and listen to a monologue describing the last 500 years of Western Civilization you would have experienced "Dawn and Decadence, by Jacques Barzun. This book starts with the Reformation and ends with today. The book traces developments, people, events that have shaped this period. Barzun takes obscure (at least to me) personalities and shows their influence over those who have received the notoriety; he discusses events that of themselves might appear inconsequential, but in a historic perspective take on great significance and explains why. The writing is clear, almost conversational with digressions that help illuminate the subject or add perspective. He also suggests further reading on a subject in a "by the way..." manner throughout the book. This man has lived nearly a fifth of the period he writes about, his opinion of the present is dim, he does explains where he feels society has gone wrong and why the best years may be behind us. The book is long and causes you to stop and think; it is far beyond a simple retelling of this period of Western Civilization.
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