HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

Loading...

The Renaissance: A Very Short Introduction (2002)

by Jerry Brotton

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
437856,627 (3.63)3
Exploring the Renaissance as a time of unprecedented intellectual excitement & cultural experimentation & interaction on a global scale, this book guides the reader through the key issues that defined the period, from art, architecture, & literature, to the advances in science, trade & travel.
None
Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 3 mentions

English (7)  Spanish (1)  All languages (8)
Showing 1-5 of 7 (next | show all)
I love the side-alleys of history—the relatively ignored, the peculiar, the losers, the things that could have been but didn't end up being, the stuff that's fascinating, but didn't move the world. My Classics/history grad school work was a parade of such topics. But there's a time and a place for such work, and a "Very Short Introduction" is not one of them. Rather, such books need to hit the dead center of the topic--the stuff that sets it apart, the stuff that matters. In another context, I'd love to hear Brotten talk about, say, Ottomans in the Renaissance. (I mean—I'm the guy who put Filelfo's poetic encomium to Mehmet the Conqueror on their Classics reading list!) But not in a Very Short History, where I expect to get a brilliant synthesis and theory. So… meh. ( )
1 vote timspalding | Mar 14, 2017 |
The book is well written and examine importants aspects of Renaissance. An introduction that gives the reader (or the listener) a glimpse into the historical facts of the time and the literary and artistics works produced. Short book with valuable informations. ( )
  MarcusBastos | Feb 13, 2015 |
This is exactly what the title says it is - a very short introduction to the Renaissance. I love this series because it lets me quickly brush up on some areas of history. This one is a little more scattered than some others I've looked at, but that reflects the big subject that it entails. Brotton talks about humanism, exploration, art, science and printing. He tries to keep them tied together although the connections sometimes go by the wayside.

There were three key issues that I found most interesting. The first was humanism, which is very difficult to define. But it looks like it is the basis for modern liberal arts education, which values a well-rounded education as a way for self-cultiavation more than a vocational education to gain a livelihood. The author notes, however, that the ideals we sometimes attach to humanism (representative government, freedom, equality) are something we project back on the period. Humanists were as likely to work for tyrants as not. The paycheck was more important than the message.

Brotton also points out that the Renaissance was not a purely European phenomenon that shows its superiority. It was heavily influenced by earlier learning from the muslim world and India, but then built on that. He also shows that there was no clear idealogical divide between Christian and Muslim at this time, as Europeans routinely allied with Muslim powers if they had a common enemy.

Printing was also crucial to the Renaissance. Literacy was improving and many writers began writing in the vernacular rather than Latin or Greek. Science, poetry, novels and news were all distributed much more widely than was possible before the printing press. This meant that ideas could travel further and quicker than before, bringing more people into the creative process, which promoted more advances.

He then goes on to show the changes of the Renaissance helped promote the art we associate with it so stronger. And it promoted the oceanic exploration which would eventually lead to a much more integrated Euroasian-African economy. It also fostered religious change with the Protestant Reformation and the subsequent Catholic Reformation.

If this review seems disjointed, then it accurately reflects the book. Brotton has done an excellent job of explaining a huge phenomenon in a very short space. There was no way to avoid it seeming a little scattered. Yet it is still worth reading if you want a primer on the subject. ( )
1 vote Scapegoats | Oct 27, 2014 |
A revisionist attempt to introduce the Renaissance, interpreting it in terms of Islam, absolutism, and greed. It is ambiguous about whether the Renaissance is an identifiable period or not. The author exhibits an attitude of contempt toward most of the leading figures of the period, its institutions, and its popular movements. There are frequent factual errors and contradictions.

What the author is good at is using detailed analysis of works of art to illustrate more general aspects of culture and society. This type of exegesis makes the opening chapter a much better read than the remainder of the book. I can't recommend this volume to anyone, but I especially discourage anyone who has little or no background in the period from relying on Botton for an introduction. ( )
  anthonywillard | Jan 15, 2013 |
Useful ( )
  Harrod | Dec 3, 2008 |
Showing 1-5 of 7 (next | show all)
He leído el libro The Renaissance: A Very Short Introduction de Jerry Brotton y debo decir que me ha parecido una lectura muy interesante y educativa. A pesar de ser un libro de introducción, Brotton ofrece una visión completa y detallada de la época renacentista, cubriendo temas como el arte, la ciencia, la literatura y la política.

Me ha gustado mucho cómo Brotton ha abordado la historia del Renacimiento desde una perspectiva global y ha incluido a diferentes países y culturas en su análisis. Además, ha sabido equilibrar la información histórica con una escritura clara y accesible para el lector.

Una de las cosas que más me ha gustado de este libro es la atención que se presta a las personalidades más importantes de la época renacentista. Brotton nos da una visión muy completa de figuras como Leonardo da Vinci, Miguel Ángel y Galileo Galilei, y nos muestra cómo su obra y pensamiento han influenciado el mundo moderno.

Ventiladores dyson
added by patrickrall | editee
 
The book is well written and examine importants aspects of Renaissance. An introduction that gives the reader (or the listener) a glimpse into the historical facts of the time and the literary and artistics works produced. Short book with valuable informations...
 

Belongs to Series

You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
Dedication
First words
National museums and art galleries are the most obvious places to go to understand what we mean when we talk about 'The Renaissance'.
Quotations
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (3)

Exploring the Renaissance as a time of unprecedented intellectual excitement & cultural experimentation & interaction on a global scale, this book guides the reader through the key issues that defined the period, from art, architecture, & literature, to the advances in science, trade & travel.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
Haiku summary

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (3.63)
0.5
1 1
1.5
2 2
2.5 1
3 5
3.5 5
4 8
4.5 1
5 5

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 202,657,275 books! | Top bar: Always visible