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.

Johnson, Paul, 1928-

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Paw Prints 2008-06-05

Baker & Taylor, CATS

Harmony Books

Modern Library chronicles, Modern Library pbk. ed, New York, 2002, ©2000

Modern Library chronicles, 1, Modern Library pbk. ed, New York, 2002

Modern Library chronicles (Modern Library, New York), New York, 2000

Modern Library chronicles, Bridgewater, NJ, 2008

United States, United States of America

Edition Unstated, PT, 2002

August 6, 2002

obscured text

<p>In <I>The Renaissance, A short History</I>, Paul Johnson defines both the term and the cultural and historical period that came to be known as "the Renaissance" in the nineteenth century. He takes the major economic and technological developments of the period, and delineates the outstanding individuals in literature, art, and architecture who came to be seen as key figures in the Renaissance.<P> <B>About the Author:</B><BR> Paul Johnson is the author of many landmark works of history, philosophy and religion, including <I>Modern Times, A history of the American People, Intellectuals</I>, and <I>The Birth of the Modern</I>.</p> <h3>Publishers Weekly</h3> <p>This slim volume is among the first in a new series, the Modern Library Chronicles, described by the publisher as "authoritative, lively, and accessible." Noted historian Johnson's (A History of the American People, etc.) book satisfies on the latter two counts--it provides a serviceable introduction for the general reader--however, on the first count it falls short. Johnson offers an unimaginative and superficial history, with insidious signs of haste, like the claim that Charles V created El Escorial. Few will be surprised that the Renaissance was "primarily a human event" or excited by the pedestrian approach: dates of birth and death abound. Although he avoids blind admiration (the Mona Lisa "shows the defects of [Leonardo's] slovenly method of working"), Johnson is resolutely canonical: Chaucer is one of precisely four writers in English whose genius, he claims, cannot be rationally explained (Shakespeare, Dickens and Kipling are the others). Other value judgments will also raise eyebrows: Leonardo, for instance, had "not much warmth to him. He may, indeed, have had homosexual inclinations." Johnson equivocates on Michelangelo: he was quarrelsome, secretive and mean-spirited, but to say he was neurotic is "nonsense." More interesting is the remark that the humanists were outsiders, beyond the stifling university pale; the author evidently senses kindred spirits, and he snipes at academia. But there is much here for the academicians to attack, and it is difficult to see how this volume improves on, say, Peter Burke's even briefer volume The Renaissance. 3-city author tour. (Aug.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.</p>

viii, 196 pages ; 21 cm
The Renaissance holds an undying place in our imagination; its great heroes still our own, from Michelangelo and Leonardo to Dante and Chaucer. This period of profound evolution in European thought is credited with transforming the West from medieval to modern and producing the most astonishing outpouring of artistic creation the world has ever known. But what was it? In this masterly work, the incomparable Paul Johnson tells us. He explains the economic, technological, and social developments that provide a backdrop to the age's achievements and focuses closely on the lives and works of its most important figures. A commanding short narrative of this vital period, The Renaissance is also a universally profound meditation on the wellsprings of innovation
Includes bibliographical references (pages 187-190) and index
Chronology -- The historical and economic background -- The Renaissance in literature and scholarship -- The anatomy of Renaissance sculpture -- The buildings of the Renaissance -- The apostolic successions of Renaissance painting -- The spread and decline of the Renaissance

Traces the economic, technological, and social developments of the Renaissance period, and describes contributions made by such figures as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Chaucer, and Dante to the arts, literature, architecture, technological innovation, social developments, and other key aspects of the era. Reprint. 35,000 first printing.

Traces the economic, technological, and social developments of the Renaissance period, and describes contributions made by such figures as Leonardo da Vinci and Dante to the arts, literature, and architecture

2023-06-28