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The Renaissance : A Short History (Modern Library Chronicles)
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Binding: Hardcover
Edition: Modern Lib
Format: Bargain Price
Label: Modern Library
Manufacturer: Modern Library
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 208
Publication Date: 2000-08
Publisher: Modern Library
Studio: Modern Library
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Editorial Review:
The Renaissance holds an undying place in the human imagination, and its great heroes remain our own, from Michelangelo and Leonardo to Dante and Montaigne. This period of profound evolution in European thought is credited with transforming the West from medieval to modern; reviving the city as the center of human activity and the acme of civilization; and, of course, producing the most astonishing outpouring of artistic creation the world has ever known. Perhaps no era in history was more revolutionary, and none has been more romanticized. What was it? In The Renaissance, the great historian Paul Johnson tackles that question with the towering erudition and imaginative fire that are his trademarks.Johnson begins by painting the economic, technological, and social developments that give the period its background. But, as Johnson explains, "The Renaissance was primarily a human event, propelled forward by a number of individuals of outstanding talent, in some cases amounting to genius." It is the human foreground that absorbs most of the book's attention. "We can give all kinds of satisfying explanations of why and when the Renaissance occurred and how it transmitted itself," Johnson writes. "But there is no explaining Dante, no explaining Chaucer. Genius suddenly comes to life, and speaks out of a vacuum. Then it is silent, equally mysteriously. The trends continue and intensify, but genius is lacking." In the four parts that make up the heart of the book--"The Renaissance in Literature and Scholarship," "The Anatomy of Renaissance Sculpture," "The Buildings of the Renaissance," and "The Apostolic Successions of Renaissance Painting"--Johnson chronicles the lives and works of the age's animating spirits. Finally, he examines the spread and decline of the Renaissance, and its abiding legacy. A book of dazzling riches, The Renaissance is a compact masterpiece of the historian's art.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Clear and readable, and a touch opinionated
There is real value in this little book. And while I wouldn't call it "exciting", if you like a splash of opinion in your reading then this rises above the average academic text.
This well-organized "Short History" does a fine job of outlining the major times, people, and places where the great wheel of the Renaissance turned. I like the attempt to divide the arts into writing, sculpture, architecture, and painting. I found that by not mixing artistic genres in discussion, it was ... Read More
Rating: - Solid Introduction to the Italian Renaissance
This is a good book for anyone looking for a solid yet succinct introduction to the Renaissance. Don't be fooled into thinking this is a light read by the number of pages or concise format. It is very fast paced and densely packed with information. The book is a very comprehensive treatment of the art and literature of the period although it does not delve in very deep.
The book is organized very logically with very good chapters on Literature & Scholarship, Sculpture, Architecture, ... Read More
Rating:  - Lack of pictures in a major drawback
I am quite surprised at how many great reviews this book has received. My only explanation for this is that the this author must attract readers who already have considerable historical background. As one who really wanted an introduction to this time period, I feel the book sped way too quickly through its specialized topics, while omitting important areas. (If you are going to make the book all about the artistic achievements of the Renaissance, why not at least mention the musical accomplishments ... Read More
Rating: - Good, and concise
I am a layman with regard to the arts, but has a keen interest in it, and I thoroughly enjoyed this little work by Paul Johnson. As always he is opinionated, sometimes infuriatingly so (I notice from the formal reviews that this does not endear him to academic historians), but that prevents his writing from being dull and academic. So what if he thinks that England had produced only four authors possessing of true genius- it's his opinion and he is entitled to state it. In this book Johnson gives a concise ... Read More
Rating:  - Short and Delightful
This is the first book I read of Paul Johnson's that is not a kilopage tome. In less than 200 pages, Johnson gave the Renaissance a most delightful treatment.
This book will disappoint those who try to look for exhaustive treatment of any area of literature and art of that fabulous era, or of any of the fabled masters. But it delights the reader with a short tour of the Renaissance Italy (and to a lesser degree, Europe) by vivid illustrations of some of the most outstanding literary, architecture and ... Read More
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