Mention Books To The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Volume 2)
Edward Gibbon
Audiobook | Pages: 40 pages Rating: 4.25 | 787 Users | 58 Reviews
Identify Based On Books The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Volume 2)
| Title | : | The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Volume 2) |
| Author | : | Edward Gibbon |
| Book Format | : | Audiobook |
| Book Edition | : | Unabridged |
| Pages | : | Pages: 40 pages |
| Published | : | January 2nd 1992 by Blackstone Audio (first published 1776) |
| Categories | : | History. Nonfiction. Classics. Ancient History. Roman |
Explanation Toward Books The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Volume 2)
Famous for its unflagging narrative power, fine organization, and irresistibly persuasive arguments, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire has earned a permanent place of honor in historical literature. Gibbon's elegantly detached erudition is seasoned with an ironic wit, and remarkably little of his work is outdated.This second volume covers A.D. 395 to A.D. 1185, from the reign of Justinian in the East to the establishment of the German Empire of the West. It recounts the desperate attempts to hold off the barbarians, palace revolutions and assassinations, theological controversy, and lecheries and betrayals, all in a setting of phenomenal magnificence.
(P)1992 Blackstone Audio Inc.
Rating Based On Books The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Volume 2)
Ratings: 4.25 From 787 Users | 58 ReviewsRate Based On Books The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Volume 2)
Although the author is one of the first which focuses on the history of the Late Roman Empire and does so with great insight, his approach on the history of the Byzantine Empire is deeply biased and therefore not suited for the specialist or the history buff who would like to learn more about this period and this state. He regards the Byzantine Empire as a creation of the malevolent, cowardly and effeminate Greeks who perverted the values promoted by the Roman Empire. He misses completely toAs Ive already written two panegyric reviews of Gibbon, Ill keep this one short. In fact, I only want to say something briefly about prose style. Anyone who peruses a few books on writing will notice some similarities. We are advised to write short sentences, to use simple words, and generally to be direct and terse. In On Writing, Stephen King urges the potential writer to entirely eschew adverbs. In On Writing Well, William Zinsser has this to say: Among good writers it is the short sentences
As Ive already written two panegyric reviews of Gibbon, Ill keep this one short. In fact, I only want to say something briefly about prose style. Anyone who peruses a few books on writing will notice some similarities. We are advised to write short sentences, to use simple words, and generally to be direct and terse. In On Writing, Stephen King urges the potential writer to entirely eschew adverbs. In On Writing Well, William Zinsser has this to say: Among good writers it is the short sentences
Okay, I have a few chapters left. I had to return the book, and I don't need the research for a while yet. Rather than pretend I'm currently reading, I am marking this as read.The sections on the Christian and pagan persecutions which seemed to alternate from before the time of Constantine through the short reign of Julian were most helpful to me. The historical context of the Donatist and Arian heresies, so called, also helps frame the subject of my historical fiction, a novel concerning 4th
Works of undisputed genius want personal reflection more than analysis. This is especially true with a work so capacious as The Decline and Fall, even limiting oneself to the third and fourth volumes. I can reflect on what aspects of the work mean to me; I can focus on which of Gibbons rhetorical devices I like most. But Decline is a work that beggars criticism on the whole. It is no exaggeration to compare Gibbons work to other monuments of literature, The Divine Comedy or Shakespeares corpus.
Volume 2 dives heavily into the early centuries of the burgeoning church, both before and after Constantine. All fascinating, though some (especially Gibbon's exploration of the minute differences between believers of homoousian versus homoiousian) can be difficult to get through. NB: This is for volume 2 of the 6-volume Everyman box set.
Of course it is almost sacrilege to give only three stars to this masterpiece of historical writing. But, where I gave five stars to the first volume, I think this second volume doesnt quite measure up. Firstly there is an inordinate (in my personal view) amount of attention to Christianity, and as important the subject is, still those passages can get a bit tedious. Secondly, overall I found the narrative a bit less free-flowing as the first volume. This might have to do with the subject matter
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.