From Dawn to Decadence: 1500 to the Present: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life

Highly regarded here and abroad for some thirty works of cultural history and criticism, master historian Jacques Barzun has now set down in one continuous narrative the sum of his discoveries and conclusions about the whole of Western culture since 1500. In this account, Barzun describes what Western Man wrought from the Renaisance and Reformation down to the present in the double light of its own time and our pressing concerns. He introduces characters and incidents with his unusual literary style and grace, bringing to the fore those that have "Puritans as Democrats," "The Monarch's Revolution," "The Artist Prophet and Jester"--show the recurrent role of great themes throughout the eras. The triumphs and defeats of five hundred years form an inspiring saga that modifies the current impression of one long tale of oppression by white European males. Women and their deeds are prominent, and freedom (even in sexual matters) is not an invention of the last decades. And when Barzun rates the present not as a culmination but a decline, he is in no way a prophet of doom. Instead, he shows decadence as the creative novelty that will burst forth--tomorrow or the next day. Only after a lifetime of separate studies covering a broad territory could a writer create with such ease the synthesis displayed in this magnificent volume. Cover......Page 1 Copyright page......Page 8 Table of Contents......Page 11 Author's Note......Page 13 Prologue: From Current Concerns to the Subject of This Book......Page 17 Part I: From Luther's Ninety-Five Theses to Boyle's "Invisible College"......Page 23 The West Torn Apart......Page 25 Erasmus......Page 33 Luther......Page 38 The New Life......Page 43 Calvin......Page 56 The Good Letters......Page 65 Petrarch......Page 70 Marsilio Ficino......Page 79 The "Artist" Is Born......Page 87 A Digression on a Word: man......Page 104 Cross Section: The View from Madrid Around 1540......Page 113 Charles V......Page 114 The Eutopians......Page 139 Rabelais......Page 150 Montaigne......Page 155 Shakespeare......Page 162 Epic & Comic, Lyric & Music, Critic & Public......Page 167 Tasso......Page 170 Cross Section: The View from Venice Around 1650......Page 191 John Amos Comenius (Jan Komensky)......Page 202 The Invisible College......Page 213 Giordano Bruno......Page 216 Paracelsus......Page 219 Descartes......Page 222 Bacon......Page 225 Christina of Sweden......Page 229 Pascal......Page 236 Digression on a Word: esprit......Page 242 Robert Burton......Page 243 An Interlude......Page 246 Christine De Pisan......Page 254 Part II: From the Bog and Sand of Versailles to the Tennis Court......Page 259 The Monarchs' Revolution......Page 261 Machiavelli......Page 277 Puritans As Democrats......Page 283 John Lilburne......Page 290 Oliver Cromwell......Page 296 Joseph Glanvill......Page 303 The Reign of Etiquette......Page 307 Fénelon......Page 320 Cross Section: The View from London Around 1715......Page 329 Vauban......Page 335 John Law......Page 342 Swift......Page 345 The Opulent Eye......Page 355 Peter Paul Rubens......Page 356 Molière......Page 366 Saint-Evremond......Page 369 The Encyclopedic Century......Page 381 Diderot......Page 391 Jean-Jacques Rousseau......Page 404 Johann Sebastian Bach......Page 410 Cross Section: The View from Weimar Around 1790......Page 415 Goethe......Page 416 Beaumarchais......Page 421 Le Chevalier Gluck......Page 437 Mozart......Page 440 The Forgotten Troop......Page 447 Thomas Beddoes......Page 459 Georg Christoph Lichtenberg......Page 461 With the Brain Trust in Egypt......Page 464 Germaine De Staël......Page 472 Part III: from Faust, Part I, to "Nude Descending a Staircase No. 2"......Page 485 The Work of Mind-And-Heart......Page 487 Digression on a Word: romantic......Page 489 Byron......Page 507 Cross Section: The View from Paris Around 1830......Page 513 Berlioz......Page 516 Hazlitt......Page 532 Shakespeare......Page 538 The Mother of Parliaments......Page 541 Sydney Smith......Page 551 Things Ride Mankind......Page 573 Florence Nightingale......Page 602 Walter Bagehot......Page 603 The Women Travelers......Page 605 Oliver Wendell Holmes......Page 607 Cross Section: The View from Chicago Around 1895......Page 613 A Summit Of Energies......Page 637 Samuel Butler......Page 655 The Cubist Decade......Page 665 Digression on a Word: pragmatism......Page 688 Part IV: From "The Great Illusion" to "Western Civ Has Got to Go"......Page 703 The Great Illusion......Page 705 Shaw......Page 707 The Artist Prophet and Jester......Page 735 Dorothy Sayers......Page 763 Embracing the Absurd......Page 767 James Agate......Page 775 Demotic Life and Times......Page 795 Let Us End with a Prologue......Page 820 Our Age......Page 821 Prologue......Page 825 The Good Letters......Page 826 The Artist Is Born......Page 827 Cross Section: The View from Madrid......Page 828 Epic & Comic Lyric & Music Critic & Public......Page 829 The Invisible College......Page 830 Monarchs' Revolution......Page 831 Puritans As Democrats......Page 832 Cross Section: The View from London......Page 833 Opulent Eye......Page 835 Encyclopedic Century......Page 836 Cross Section: The View from Weimar......Page 837 Forgotten Troop......Page 838 The Work of Mind-And-Heart......Page 839 Cross Section: The View from Paris......Page 840 Things Ride Mankind......Page 841 Cross Section: The View from Chicago......Page 843 Summit of Energies......Page 844 Cubist Decade......Page 845 Great Illusion......Page 846 Artist Prophet and Jester......Page 847 Demotic Life and Times......Page 848 A......Page 851 B......Page 852 C......Page 854 D......Page 856 E......Page 857 G......Page 858 H......Page 860 J......Page 861 L......Page 862 M......Page 864 O......Page 866 P......Page 867 R......Page 868 S......Page 869 T......Page 871 V......Page 872 Y......Page 873 Z......Page 874 A......Page 875 B......Page 877 C......Page 878 D......Page 879 E......Page 880 G......Page 882 H......Page 883 I......Page 884 L......Page 885 M......Page 886 N......Page 888 O......Page 889 P......Page 890 R......Page 892 S......Page 893 T......Page 896 V......Page 897 W......Page 898 Z......Page 899 Highly regarded here and abroad for some thirty works of cultural history and criticism, master historian Jacques Barzun has now set down in one continuous narrative the sum of his discoveries and conclusions about the whole of Western culture since 1500. In this account, Barzun describes what Western Man wrought from the Renaisance and Reformation down to the present in the double light of its own time and our pressing concerns. He introduces characters and incidents with his unusual literary style and grace, bringing to the fore those that have "Puritans as Democrats," "The Monarch's Revolution," "The Artist Prophet and Jester"--Show the recurrent role of great themes throughout the eras. The triumphs and defeats of five hundred years form an inspiring saga that modifies the current impression of one long tale of oppression by white European males. Women and their deeds are prominent, and freedom (even in sexual matters) is not an invention of the last decades. And when Barzun rates the present not as a culmination but a decline, he is in no way a prophet of doom. Instead, he shows decadence as the creative novelty that will burst forth - tomorrow or the next day "Highly regarded here and abroad for some thirty works of cultural history and criticism, master historian Jacques Barzun has now set down in one continuous narrative the sum of his discoveries and conclusions about the whole of Western culture since 1500.". "In this account, Barzun describes what Western Man wrought from the Renaissance and Reformation down to the present in the double light of its own time and our pressing concerns. He introduces characters and incidents with his usual literary style and grace, bringing to the fore those that have been forgotten or obscured. His compelling chapters - such as "Puritans as Democrats," "The Monarchs' Revolution," "The Artist Prophet and Jester" - show the recurrent role of great themes throughout the eras."--BOOK JACKET. Showcases The Triumphs And Defeats Of Five Hundred Years Of Western Cultural History, Highlighting The Contributions Of Women And Arguing That Decadence Is Required In Order To Spark Creativity In The Next Era. Prologue: From Current Concerns To The Subject Of This Book -- Pt. 1: From Luther's Ninety-five Theses To Boyle's Invisible College -- Pt. 2: From The Bog And Sand Of Versailles To The Tennis Court -- Pt. 3: From Faust, Part I, To The Nude Descending A Staircase No. 2 -- Pt. 4: From The Great Illusion To Western Civ Has Got To Go. Jacques Barzun. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [803]-828) And Indexes.