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From Dawn to Decadence
From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life : 1500 to the Present | Jacques Barzun
3 posts | 6 read | 6 to read
The product of the author's lifetime, this powerful narrative, insterrsperses the author's analysis of wars, philosophy, science, manners, sex, religion, morals, art, et al, from the Reformation to the present day, with biographical sketches of influential historical figures. His conclusion is that the decadence of the current age is merely a watershed for a new age in which Western culture will again flourish.
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review
PippoRanito
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Pickpick

One of the greatest historical surveys of western intellectual culture.

Barzun writes with the confidence of an outlaw and the learning of a sage. Contentious. Invoking. Empathetic. A very exciting historical romp through the minds of history's greats!

#history #philosophy #culture

RaimeyGallant Sounds interesting! 6y
RaimeyGallant And welcome to Litsy! #LitsyWelcomeWagon Some of us put together Litsy tips to help new Littens navigate the site. It's the link in my bio on my page in case you need it. Or if you prefer how-to videos, @chelleo put some together at the link in her bio. @LitsyWelcomeWagon 6y
PippoRanito @RaimeyGallant thank you for the warm welcome! I'm still learning the ins and outs of Litsy but so far I've been enjoying! Let me check out those suggestions of yours. 😊 6y
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RaimeyGallant Hope you find it all helpful. :) 6y
Chelleo Hi and welcome 🤗 6y
rather_be_reading welcome to litsy!! 📚🎉📚 6y
BookaholicNatty Welcome to Litsy!!! Hope you love it here just as much as I do!!! ❤️❤️📚 6y
BooknerdsLife Welcome to Litsy! 🙌💕📚 6y
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quote
RusskayaChica
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Huh. Never really thought about the shift in attitude toward antiquity over the course of the Renaissance. I imagine the Scientific Revolution had something to do with this.

Libby1 In the late 90s with all the talk of postmodernism I thought we'd move beyond the use of the term modern. This appears not to have happened. I know that I feel a great gap in my education around ancient texts and ideas. 8y
RusskayaChica @Libby1, I hear you about the gap. I've enjoyed teaching history of psych because I've had to go back and engage material from before the late 19th c...in some cases, way before! 8y
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blurb
RusskayaChica
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Only 100 pages in, but Barzun's book seems to hold a lot of promise for illuminating the question of why Western culture is so unique. McDonald's paraphernalia included for irony :-p

Libby1 Hello, @RusskayaChica ! ❤️ 8y
RusskayaChica Hello, dear @Libby1! Thanks for the tipoff about Litsy :) 8y
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