Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Loading... The ornament of the world : how muslims, jews, and christians created a culture of tolerance in medieval Spain (original 2002; edition 2002)by Maria Rosa Menocal (Author)
Work InformationThe Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain by María Rosa Menocal (2002)
Loading...
Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.
Never realised that the Moors in Spain were so long settled. I assumed it was just prior to the First Crusade, but it’s more 8th century until 15th century. But at the time of the Vikings, their culture was rich, inclusive and tolerant. The book is interesting with new information and its treatise is that it was wiped out by fractions within Islam as well as by the increasing dogmatism of the Christian world. This is a delightful romp through almost a thousand years of the Spanish history. It doesn't attempt to be comprehensive, but instead is a series of snapshots, with enough connections sketched in to keep the story coherent. The main theme is the notion of a first-class mind, from F. Scott Fitzgerald, applied here to cultures. There are four streams entangled - the three Abrahamic faiths along with the Greeks, mostly Aristotle. I've seen references to the richness of Andalusian culture. This was a splendid way to dive in a little deeper. It leaves me with too many threads to follow! Never to be bored! It was a strange enough coincidence that this book was written just before the attacks of 9/11/2001. That we seem to be getting trapped more tightly in battles over ideological purity is really sad. Maria Rosa Menocal, of Blessed Memory, added a crucial work to the body of community cooperation literature which should be read by all. One of her comments which I found distressing (17 June, 2013, which was MEOW Date Saturday, June 16, 12,013 H.E.) was that "most people died alone" of the Black Plague. How aweful to see how readily our affections and ties to one another are abandoned. But she also shows a culture of cooperation in her book which we can emulate today. Peace, ShiraD. no reviews | add a review
Undoing the familiar notion of the Middle Ages as a period of religious persecution and intellectual stagnation, Menocal brings us a portrait of a medieval culture where literature, science, and tolerance flourished for 500 years. The story begins as a young prince in exile--the last heir to an Islamic dynasty--founds a new kingdom on the Iberian peninsula: al-Andalus. Combining the best of what Muslim, Jewish, and Christian cultures had to offer, al-Andalus and its successors influenced the rest of Europe in dramatic ways, from the death of liturgical Latin and the spread of secular poetry, to remarkable feats in architecture, science, and technology. The glory of the Andalusian kingdoms endured until the Renaissance, when Christian monarchs forcibly converted, executed, or expelled non-Catholics from Spain. No library descriptions found. |
Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)946.01History and Geography Europe Spain and Iberian Peninsula Spain Early history; Roman dominion; Gothic kingdom -711LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |
Religious and cultural tolerance and intolerance exist simultaneously among one race. Ones' beliefs become who one is and is a vital part of self- and community-identity. This is a complexity with which humans have dealt for eternity. To find one place where the essence of tolerance lived in-between eras of intolerance then expand upon its origins and demise is to the author's credit. That she is able to present it in an easy to read framework reflects her genius.
I have not yet read Decameron or Don Quixote, but will do so now with a much greater understanding of the books' contexts than if I had read them prior to reading this wonderful book. ( )