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"A stunning five-century study of civilization's cultural retreat." — William Safire, New York Times
Highly regarded here and abroad for some thirty works of cultural history and criticism, master historian Jacques Barzun has set down in one continuous narrative the sum of his discoveries and conclusions about the whole of Western culture since 1500.
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 unusual 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," and "The Artist Prophet and Jester"—show the recurrent role of great themes throughout the era.
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 normal close of great periods and a necessary condition of 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.
Written by one of the master historians of our time, From Dawn to Decadence reviews the achievements and failures of Western European culture, from the Renaissance to today. Jacques Barzun, author of more than thirty works of cultural history and criticism, draws on his phenomenal knowledge of the art, philosophy, manners, morals, and religions of the last five centuries to create a classic of Western cultural analysis.
This National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestseller rates the present not as a culmination but a decline. But Barzun is in no way a prophet of doom. Instead, he shows decadence as the normal close of great periods and a necessary condition of the creative energies that will inevitably re-emerge. From Dawn to Decadence marks the culmination of a lifetime of work from this extraordinary thinker, writer and teacher. Born in France in 1907, Jacques Barzun came to the United States in 1920. After graduating from Columbia College, he joined the faculty of the university, becoming Seth Low Professor of History and for a decade, Dean of Faculties and Provost. The author of some 30 books, he received the Gold Medal for Criticism from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, of which he was twice president. “[From Dawn to Decadence] is arguably the best thinking man’s bedside book ever written.” — Peter Green, Times Literary Supplement
