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Two questions: 1) does this book read like a textbook? And 2) how unbiased is it? Eurocentric? AntiEurocentric? I want neither.
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SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome,
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Skye
1) It definitely doesn't read like a textbook. I just finished taking a "History of Latin Literature" class where we had several textbooks, and now I'm reading SPQR (the day after my final exam, I might add) for pleasure because it feels like a fun and dynamic re-working of all I have just learned. You could definitely read it for bed or at the beach without feeling bored at all.
2) It's hardly biased-- I mean, any source about history has some bias, but SPQR is only biased in that Mary Beard is devoted to not just telling one side of the story. So from one perspective, you could say she goes out of her way to give a fair picture of Roman history-- one that includes women, children, non-Romans, and pretty much anyone else who is usually ignored by Roman histories. It's a book on Europe so it's about Europe (hardly a fault of the book), but I wouldn't say it's Eurocentric because she ties in connections to today and, occasionally, other civilizations. I think it's the fairest, best Roman history book you could find if you don't want a textbook and want a fair representation of history.
2) It's hardly biased-- I mean, any source about history has some bias, but SPQR is only biased in that Mary Beard is devoted to not just telling one side of the story. So from one perspective, you could say she goes out of her way to give a fair picture of Roman history-- one that includes women, children, non-Romans, and pretty much anyone else who is usually ignored by Roman histories. It's a book on Europe so it's about Europe (hardly a fault of the book), but I wouldn't say it's Eurocentric because she ties in connections to today and, occasionally, other civilizations. I think it's the fairest, best Roman history book you could find if you don't want a textbook and want a fair representation of history.
Sergio Remon Alvarez
When you say Eurocentric, what excatly do you mean? As in, focused on Latin America? No, it is not focused on Latin America. The book is about Rome. Therefore, it takes place mostly in...Rome. Therefore you can say, based on that information, yes, it is Eurocentric, with dash of Asia Minor and Northern Africa blended in. No, it does not read like a textbook. That's what makes Mary Beard great; she's very accessible.
Rich Uncle Pennybags
How could a book about Rome not be Euro-centric?
Fred Klein
Did you want the book to be Afrocentric?
Bruce Apar
While it may not read exactly like a text book, the author's predominant strength is her prodigious scholarship, not her turn of phrase. The information she imparts is fascinating and revelatory on many levels, but a stylish storyteller she is not.
Boris
I think the book is quite Eurocentric. The source material is almost exclusively Roman. Mary Beard aims to answer the question on how Rome became such a succesfull empire. I do not believe you can answer this question correctly if you do not compare with other ancient empires. Other than that, with the sources she uses, she goes out of her way to provide a balanced view of Roman history.
Dave Jackson
Duh! It's Romanocentric if you need to centre it.
It's easy to read.
It's easy to read.
Vee James
The style is entertaining but this is not a historical fiction, this is a discussion of various areas of development of the Roman world: how Rome rose to dominate the western world, how the people lived, the financial and commercial side of Roman life, and of course, stories of the leaders, from the early kings to the last true emperor.
Charles Fried
It does not read like a text book, but it is not like one of those "historical novels" either. However there are a great many anecdotes and it is very readable. It is Eurocentric inevitably, as the Roman empire was Eurocentric.
Michael Rickard
The book doesn't read like a textbook and is a survey of Rome from the Kingdom Era to the 3rd century. I didn't find it to be antiEurocentric (or Eurocentric for that matter). While it's not a textbook, it's not a James Patterson easy reading.
aniajames
it was a great book which helped me with research to write facts about Rome https://the-travelling-twins.com/fact...
Tom Dailey
A lot of scholarship, but her books never read like textbooks. Not at all. Not sure what Eurocentric means, but she always has an iconoclastic, debunking popular held beliefs perspective. If you want to know more about the author, her book on Pompeii is smaller in scope and she co-wrote 2 short, really great travel books -- one on the Parthenon and one on the Coliseum.
Milo Dendy
Breanna,
I think you'll really like this book. It was a finalist for the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award. It is pretty conversational for a non-fiction, having a lot of anecdotes. Beard reasons with the reader on whether certain versions of Rome's history (notably Gibbons') should be accepted as fact or not. Check out my review for examples.
I think you'll really like this book. It was a finalist for the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award. It is pretty conversational for a non-fiction, having a lot of anecdotes. Beard reasons with the reader on whether certain versions of Rome's history (notably Gibbons') should be accepted as fact or not. Check out my review for examples.
Mark
While primarily Eurocentric, Professor Beard does touch on Africa & the middle east. Among the best features of this book is the discussion on what creates Roman-ness and non-Roman culture and the interactions between social classes and geography.
If you're interested in the later Roman Empire and Late Antiquity Peter Brown's Through the Eye of a Needle is a fairly balanced blend of euro and non euro Roman history ( and worth the hefty price i.m.o., as was this book for me anyway).
If you're interested in the later Roman Empire and Late Antiquity Peter Brown's Through the Eye of a Needle is a fairly balanced blend of euro and non euro Roman history ( and worth the hefty price i.m.o., as was this book for me anyway).
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Dec 23, 2015 06:01PM · flag
Feb 15, 2016 11:50PM · flag