How the world became modern is a book by stephen greenblatt and winner of. The swerve is stephen greenblatt s account of how on the nature of things was rescued from obscurity by poggio bracciolini, a vatican bureaucrat wi only a few fragments of his writings survive today. Oct 12, 2011 stephen greenblatts the swerve commentary by fr. How the world became modern kindle edition by greenblatt, stephen. Pdf on february 25, 1874, the swiss historian jacob burckhardt wrote to. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that the. Renowned historian stephen greenblatts works shoot to the top of the new york times bestseller list. Altschuler, special to the chronicle sunday, december 18, 2011 the swerve how the world became modern by stephen greenblatt norton. When the great italian poet petrarch coined the term dark ages, disparaging ly referring to. How the world became modern winner of the 2011 national book award and the 2012 pulitzer prize. Apr 25, 2012 awarded the 2012 pulitzer prize for nonfiction, stephen greenblatts new book the swerve.
With the swerve, greenblatt transports listeners to the dawn of the renaissance and chronicles the life of an intrepid book lover who rescued the roman philosophical text on the nature of things. The swerve is haunted by an alternate history of absence, in which everything might have vanished, and by a fear that everything could vanish in some future. How shakespeare became shakespeare and the classic university text renaissance selffashioning. The most complete statement of epicureanism that has survived is a poem, on the nature of things, written by the roman poet lucretius. How the renaissance began is a book by stephen greenblatt and winner of the 2012 pulitzer prize for general nonfiction and 2011 national book award for nonfiction greenblatt tells the story of how poggio bracciolini, a 15thcentury papal emissary and obsessive book hunter, saved the last copy of the roman poet. One of the worlds most celebrated scholars, stephen greenblatt has crafted both an innovative work of history and a thrilling story of discovery, in which one. I think the writing of literature should give pleasure. Poggio bracciolini although bracciolinis contribution to society cant be measured directly, we feel the effects of it to this day. How the world became modern, by stephen greenblatt.
The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 356 pages and is available in hardcover format. How the world became modern by stephen greenblatt w. The main characters of this history, non fiction story are ovid roman. Stephen greenblatt is the john cogan university professor of the humanities at harvard university. How the world became modern describes how the discovery of an ancient roman philosophical epic on the nature of things by lucretiusinspired artists, writers. The improbable story of how it reemerged, and how the mindset it advocated informs our present, is the subject of the swerve. Many scholars of history or art consider the renaissance to be a relatively short period of time roughly the 15th and 16th centuries when educated europeans experienced a substantial and sudden change a swerve from a deeply religious weltanschauung to one more secular or scientific. More wonderfully illuminating renaissance history from a master scholar. How the world became modern gives us a fascinating, if somewhat disjointed, history of the suppression, unlikely survival, and subsequent effect on the enlightenment of what may be the primary humanist document from ancient greece. Renowned historian stephen greenblatt s works shoot to the top of the new york times bestseller list.
Greenblatt supplies throughout the swerve are tangy and exact. The ideas in the swerve are tucked, cannily, inside a quest narrative. How the renaissance began is a book by stephen greenblatt and winner of the 2012 pulitzer prize for general nonfiction and 2011 national book award for nonfiction. Poggio travels to far away monasteries and finds esoteric classical texts to have them recopied in beautiful humanist script. The swerve is one of those brilliant works of nonfiction thats so jampacked with ideas and stories it literally boggles the mind. How the world became modern by stephen greenblatt the swerve by stephen greenblatt is subtitled how the world became modern but i dont think thats accurate. Sep 23, 2011 renowned historian stephen greenblatt s works shoot to the top of the new york times bestseller list. Life goes on, with or without lucretius, and greenblatt did not at all convince me that lucretius was germinal in the shaping of modern thought.
He is the author of twelve books, including the swerve. More wonderfully illuminating renaissance history from a master. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. One of the worlds most celebrated scholars, stephen greenblatt has c. How the world became modern norton, a new book by cogan university professor and noted shakespeare scholar stephen greenblatt, to be published in september. He is the pulitzer prize and national book awardwinning author of the swerve, will in the world, and the rise and fall of adam and eve, and the general editor of the norton shakespeare and the norton anthology of english literature. How the world became modern, which won the national book award and a pulitzer prize, as well as the new york times bestseller will in the world.
After stealing money from a diner, daniel and his girlfriend missy wake up in a car wreck. Aug 04, 20 as history, the swerve is a great piece of work. How the world became modern, newly out in paperback, earned the harvard literary scholar and founder of new historicism a pulitzer prize and a national book award. The swerve, by stephen greenblatt souvenir scribbles. But swerve is an intense, emotional telling of a true story, one with much at stake for all of us. How the world became modern, a 356page study of the transformative cultural power wielded by an ancient. Maureen corrigan nprfresh air pleasure may or may not be the true end of life, but for book lovers, few experiences can match the intellectualaesthetic enjoyment delivered by a wellwrought book. It actually has to give pleasure or it is worth nothing. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. Stephen greenblatt in this book the author transports readers to the dawn of the renaissance and chronicles the life of an intrepid book lover who rescued the roman philosophical text on the nature of things from. Also general editor of the norton anthology of english literature, he is the author of eleven books, including the swerve. The swerve is a history of a book, on the nature of things by lucretius, born 99 bce and died 55 bce. Where it fails is in its exaggeration of the importance of lucretius and his book.
Greenblatt tells the story of how poggio bracciolini, a 15thcentury papal emissary and obsessive book hunter, saved. With shiloh fernandez, juno temple, chris ashworth, shannon lucio. Sep 06, 2012 stephen greenblatt is cogan university professor of the humanities at harvard university. Both involved in redefintion of the concept of the sacred. We learn about the proliferation of libraries in classical rome. How the world became modern, is partly about an obsessive book collector, and it begins. Lucretius, who disliked technical language, chose not to use the standard greek philosophical term for these. Yale is cogan university professor of the humanities at harvard university. Complete summary of stephen greenblatts the swerve. Winner of the 2012 pulitzer prize for nonfiction winner of the 2011 national book award for nonfiction, the swerve, how the world became modern. This book is a study of how lucretian doctrines emerged during the european renaissance due to the contingent discovery. Stephen greenblatt is the john cogan university professor of humanities at harvard university and general editor of the eminently respected.
The swerve is thrilling, suspenseful tale that left this reader inspired and full of questions about the ongoing project known as human civilization. Sep 22, 2011 shakespearean scholar and harvard professor stephen greenblatt is widely acclaimed as the father of new historicism, which concentrates on understanding works of literature within their historical and social contexts. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the swerve. Foucault inhabits renaissance selffashioning mainly in greenblatts notes, but nevertheless. Complete summary of stephen greenblatt s the swerve. For one harvard alumnus, its clear why the morethan400yearold story of doomed love between a. Shakespeare and the exorcists shakespeare was reading harsnettnegotiations and exchange of social energypermeability of boundaries. With the swerve, greenblatt transports listeners to the dawn of the renaissance and chronicles the life of an intrepid book lover who rescued the roman philosophical text on the nature of things from certain oblivion. Sep 28, 2011 the literary critic, theorist and shakespeare scholar stephen greenblatts new book, the swerve. And the further you read, the more astonishing it becomes. How the world became modern, stephen greenblatt tells the story of the most important person youve probably never heard of.
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