One of the world's most celebrated scholars, Stephen Greenblatt has crafted both an innovative work of history and a thrilling story of discovery, in which one manuscript, plucked from a thousand years of neglect, changed the course of human thought and made possible the world as we know it. Nearly six hundred years ago, a short, genial, cannily alert man in his late thirties took a very old manuscript off a library shelf, saw with excitement what he had discovered, and ordered that it be copied. That book was the last surviving manuscript of an ancient Roman philosophical epic, On the Nature of Things, by Lucretius-a beautiful poem of the most dangerous ideas: that the universe functioned without the aid of gods, that religious fear was damaging to human life, and that matter was made up of very small particles in eternal motion, colliding and swerving in new directions. The …
One of the world's most celebrated scholars, Stephen Greenblatt has crafted both an innovative work of history and a thrilling story of discovery, in which one manuscript, plucked from a thousand years of neglect, changed the course of human thought and made possible the world as we know it. Nearly six hundred years ago, a short, genial, cannily alert man in his late thirties took a very old manuscript off a library shelf, saw with excitement what he had discovered, and ordered that it be copied. That book was the last surviving manuscript of an ancient Roman philosophical epic, On the Nature of Things, by Lucretius-a beautiful poem of the most dangerous ideas: that the universe functioned without the aid of gods, that religious fear was damaging to human life, and that matter was made up of very small particles in eternal motion, colliding and swerving in new directions. The copying and translation of this ancient book-the greatest discovery of the greatest book-hunter of his age-fueled the Renaissance, inspiring artists such as Botticelli and thinkers such as Giordano Bruno; shaped the thought of Galileo and Freud, Darwin and Einstein; and had a revolutionary influence on writers such as Montaigne and Shakespeare and even Thomas Jefferson. - Publisher.
Review of 'The Swerve: How the World Became Modern' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
At worst, this is a good introduction to ancient western philosophy, enough to stir interest in some of those old Greek and Roman stories you've managed to catch here and there.
Middle ground for why you might read this is simply for love of history.
I loved it for the above two reasons and because I am a little bit of a book snob, much like the main character, Poggio -a Humanist of the fifteenth century, was. Loved the hunt, the repercussions, the drama with religion and how, compared to when "On The Nature Of Things" was written, the theory of atoms in the mainstream seem to be so very recent.
Not a good choice if this is the first book you've read in years.
Review of 'The Swerve: How the World Became Modern' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Atoms and void. The Universe consists of nothing but atoms and void. The atoms move deterministically, but occasionally take a random turn, or swerve, leading to new things. All things come from atoms and to atoms they eventually return. That is a summary of Epicurean physics, as captured by Lucretius in his work De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things), over two thousand years ago. When it was rediscovered in the 15th century, its ideas were subversive, and those who held similar ideas were subjected to the Inquisition or torture, or burned at the stake. Greenblatt's summary of Lucretius's epic poem depicts it as a humanist masterpiece, still resonating today with modern philosophy and science, and still perhaps capable of swerving humanity away from the darkness of superstition. His depiction of Italy during the 15th century is particularly bleak prior to the Renaissance taking hold, with the Catholic church …
Atoms and void. The Universe consists of nothing but atoms and void. The atoms move deterministically, but occasionally take a random turn, or swerve, leading to new things. All things come from atoms and to atoms they eventually return. That is a summary of Epicurean physics, as captured by Lucretius in his work De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things), over two thousand years ago. When it was rediscovered in the 15th century, its ideas were subversive, and those who held similar ideas were subjected to the Inquisition or torture, or burned at the stake. Greenblatt's summary of Lucretius's epic poem depicts it as a humanist masterpiece, still resonating today with modern philosophy and science, and still perhaps capable of swerving humanity away from the darkness of superstition. His depiction of Italy during the 15th century is particularly bleak prior to the Renaissance taking hold, with the Catholic church perpetrating barbaric acts of violence and suppression in the name of perpetuating religious dogma, and in reaction to the new truths revealed by the likes of Galileo and inspired by the return of classical literature. He takes pains to admit that despite his book's title, the modern world is not due to one work only, but Lucretius had profound influence, including on at least one of the American founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson.
I found that reading the book was somewhat like watching an extended episode of Cosmos, fascinating and enlightening, and leaving one hungering for more. I now want to read Lucretius.
Review of 'The Swerve: How the World Became Modern' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
An interesting tour through the middle ages that explains how rare manuscript collectors pushed Europe into the renaissance. Also interesting for all the sexy gossip on the ancient Vatican.
Review of 'The Swerve: How the World Became Modern' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
An interesting enough read, I suppose. In reading non-fiction I like to be able to discern an overarching thesis, and I like to be able to see how each chapter/section contributes to that thesis, or at least the narrative that supports that thesis. And I don't see that here the result being that I walk away from this book feeling like I've read a lot of stuff, but not learnt anything except that there was this book that caused a lot of trouble in Europe in the 15th century.
Review of 'The Swerve: How the World Became Modern' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
The Kindle version of the book contains photo credits, but no photos. Otherwise, an interesting, and rambling, discussion of De rerum natura, its rediscovery and supposed consequences. The author is the scholar, not me, but it is hard to believe that the renaissance, the enlightenment, Thomas Jefferson and modern science are all so dependent on this poem.
Review of 'The Swerve: How the World Became Modern' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
A fun little history book, but the subtitle is misleading. This is primarily about Lucretius's poem (as an artifact, not a surrey of the contents), secondarily about the suppression and reemergence of Epicurean philosophy, and not really about the downstream influences.
Review of 'The Swerve: How the World Became Modern' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Greenblatt possibly oversells the plotline of his historical thriller, but regardless, the narrative he weaves is well-written prose and the historical background interesting. It made me want to read more about Epicurus.
