896
pages, HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN13: 978-0060175863
Let
me begin by quoting from Jacques Barzun himself: he sees this book as “[a]
chance to describe…some aspects of present decadence that may have escaped
notice and show how they relate to others generally acknowledged.” The forms of
decadence that he identifies in contemporary society include excess use of
television, public images of a sexual and immoral nature, a decline in
traditional religion and an upsurge in various sects, a decline in the nation
state, a decline in support for the nation state, the rise of professional
sports operated in an undistinguished way morally, and a general withdrawal
from traditional forms of education and high culture. I mention this upfront
because you may feel differently about the meaning of these same trends. At the
end of the book, he writes from the perspective of the year 2300 about what
happens in the next 300 years. This is one of the most interesting aspects of
the book. He predicts that boredom will eventually drive people back into being
interested in the traditional intellectual, social, and artistic paths of
western civilization. At one level, he may well be right because the current
technological revolution will rapidly reduce the amount of employment required
for every day goods and services. Until more interesting ones are developed, a
surfeit of cheap goods, services and entertainment may quickly become boring – particularly
if they are primarily consumed in a passive way.
Barzun
also tell us who his audience is: “[t]his book is for people who like to read
about art and thought, manners, morals, and religion, and the social setting in
which these activities have been and are taking place.” He also has assumed that
readers “prefer discourse to be selective and critical…” His hypothesis is a defense
of western civilization: “I hope to show…that the peoples of the West offered
the world a set of ideas and institutions not found earlier or elsewhere.”
This
is an unusually long book, but the nature of the subject requires it.
Certainly, I saw no place where the book provided too much or extraneous
detail. To help the reader, the book is delightfully broken down into smaller
units. The first is from 1500 to 1660 (the key issue was what to believe in
religion), the second from 1661-1789 (the status of the individual and the mode
of government predominate as topics), the third from 1790-1920 (government as a
means to provide social and economic equality as the central issues), and the
fourth from 1921 to the present (a mixture of all these past issues). Then,
within each section, there are a series of essays that look at the primary
religious, artistic, scientific, social, governmental, and thought developments.
To tie all of these essays together, he uses concepts that he feels are
continuing themes over the 500 years. To help these stand out, he CAPITALIZES
them. Some of the major themes include PRIMITIVISM, EMANCIPATION,
INDIVIDUALISM, SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS, ANALYSIS, REDUCTIVISM, SECULARISM and
ABSTRACTION. To give the reader a firm place to stand, he includes several
essays that are centered on a place and time to give a better sense of what it
was like to live then. These are usually chosen to be near where the dominant
themes were playing most strongly (Madrid in 1540, Venice in 1650, London in
1715, Weimar in 1790, Paris in 1830, and Chicago in 1880).
What
is good about this perspective is that it puts many things in context. You see
the design in the mosaic as well as the design in the individual tile. Barzun
adds to this by masterfully explaining why things happened differently than
expected. For example, Luther in 1517, the French aristocrats in 1789, and the
Russian nobles in 1917 did not intend to start revolutions. Luther tacking his
theses was the equivalent of publishing an article today. What made it
different was that the printing press allowed these ideas to spread.
Barzun
adds another perspective that is useful: the intellectual spread of ideas and
concepts. When thinking about the past, most of us focus on the greatest
individual contributors. But in doing so, we may miss people who added a key
element that allowed others to accomplish more in the future. I was impressed
by how many essayists, artists, musicians, and philosophers he cited whose
names were totally unfamiliar to me. Yet, I was enriched by understanding their
contributions from reading this book. This gave me a new sense of how to think
about history.
So, what's it all add
up to? You cannot help but gain by reading this book. You will better
understand the arguments for and against all of our current issues. You will
locate artists and writers whom you will enjoy. You will have a great deal more
fun on your next trip to Europe, visiting all of the places he talks about. You
will also develop your own perspective on what the last 500 years means for now
and in the future. For example, I was astonished to realize how much worse the
20th century was in many ways than earlier centuries, even though I was aware
of the relevant details. Our social idealism is declining at an enormous rate
compared to our scientific and commercial progress. All of these things are a
lot to get from one book. I suspect we will not see its equal in our lives.
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