false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170502901m/58233.jpg 58233 10 In the last half-millennium, as the noted cultural critic and historian Jacques Barzun observes, great revolutions have swept the Western world. Each has brought profound change--for instance, the remaking of the commercial and social worlds wrought by the rise of Protestantism and by the decline of hereditary monarchies. And each, Barzun hints, is too little studied or appreciated today, in a time he does not hesitate to label as decadent.<p> To leaf through Barzun's sweeping, densely detailed but lightly written survey of the last 500 years is to ride a whirlwind of world-changing events. Barzun ponders, for instance, the tumultuous political climate of Renaissance Italy, which yielded mayhem and chaos, but also the work of Michelangelo and Leonardo--and, he adds, the scientific foundations for today's consumer culture of boom boxes and rollerblades. He considers the 16th-century varieties of religious experimentation that arose in the wake of Martin Luther's 95 theses, some of which led to the repression of individual personality, others of which might easily have come from the "Me Decade." Along the way, he offers a miniature history of the detective novel, defends Surrealism from its detractors, and derides the rise of professional sports, packing in a wealth of learned and often barbed asides.<p> Never shy of controversy, Barzun writes from a generally conservative position; he insists on the importance of moral values, celebrates the historical contributions of Christopher Columbus, and twits the academic practitioners of political correctness. Whether accepting of those views or not, even the most casual reader will find much that is new or little-explored in this attractive venture into cultural history. <I>--Gregory McNamee</I> 56712 2000 From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life 1500 to the Present total:396|5:173|4:140|3:65|2:14|1:4| 396 1652 817 71 5 0 false false Thu Nov 05 09:56:03 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 06 13:08:45 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Aug 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 20 05:26:32 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 18 06:45:20 -0700 2009 Well this certainly took a while.
Barzun takes on the challenge of trying to articulate over 500 years of Western Culture and meets with success in parts and clearly struggles to incorporate the disparities and splintering that increases as he approaches current time. Fairly understan...more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1999 Thu Jun 11 12:12:30 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 11 12:20:41 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun May 17 08:51:13 -0700 2009 Sun May 17 10:41:34 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 true false Sat Oct 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 12 15:02:12 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 17 11:30:52 -0700 2009
500 years of the world's dominant culture, the culture that brought you the notion of culture.

Barzun's style, after you are accustomed to it enough to read it at ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Aug 03 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 22 07:27:06 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 03 23:28:49 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Jun 20 14:18:37 -0700 2008 Fri Jun 20 15:02:53 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 02 12:25:13 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 10 15:19:55 -0800 2008
Update: I just finished the book. What a magnificent work. I will just add two notes.

1. From the prologue, for those who may be interested in Barzun's framework: "All that is mean...more...]]> 0 0 false false Fri Sep 04 17:49:29 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 04 17:49:29 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 23 07:53:59 -0700 2007 Thu Nov 22 10:27:01 -0800 2007 It's a very long book, perhaps even for someone who reads in a more focused way than I do. It would be even longer if it had pictures and other illustrations, but they would be helpful.
Mr. Barzun lived th...more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2002 Thu Feb 22 12:18:38 -0800 2007 Thu Feb 22 12:24:45 -0800 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 01 14:29:31 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 01 14:32:09 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Sun Oct 25 10:24:02 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 25 10:27:27 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Wed Apr 29 22:29:52 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 29 21:27:36 -0700 2009 Sat May 09 08:49:24 -0700 2009
And it's taking me a very long time to read!...]]> 5 0 false false Sun May 25 18:53:04 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 19 11:24:38 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Feb 03 11:14:49 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 03 11:16:36 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Sat Jul 05 11:59:58 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 05 12:07:41 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Mar 31 15:30:24 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 31 15:47:50 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Jan 31 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 20 21:08:40 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 31 18:21:16 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Thu Apr 09 17:54:38 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 09 17:58:31 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=58233