Waning of the Middle Ages [Import] [Paperback]

Johan H. Huizinga (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New Ed edition (June 28, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140137025
• ISBN-13: 978-0140137026
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,544,277 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still useful after all these years, August 20, 2001

By 

Wiltrud Goldschmidt (Pennsylvania, United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Autumn of the Middle Ages (Paperback)

In this venerable if somewhat dated work, Huizinga examines the social and cultural life in France and the Low Countries during the late Middle Ages (14th and 15th centuries). Court chronicles, legal documents, religious treatises and orations as well as works of poetry and art are scrutinized for their abiliy to shed light on the codes of behavior that ruled people's lives. Literary sources from the Roman de la Rose to the ballads of François Villon to simple folk tales and proverbs are searched for clues to medieval thought and conduct. Predictably, these sources reveal more about the aristocracy and church hierarchy than about the common man; and in the case of court historians, allowance must be made for hyperbole and embellishment.

Keeping all this in mind, Huizinga discerns a gradual rigidification of all manifestations of life: faith degenerates into superstition, love of beauty into ostentatious display, models of conduct deteriorate into empty formalism. Once-vital expressions of love, piety, courage and honor become so stylized that they lose all meaning. Profanation of the sacred, blasphemy and idolatry abound. Itinerant preachers whip up mass hysteria; witch hunts and prosecution of heretics are the predictable result. In the arts, excessive and repetitive use of imagery and allegory stifles creative impulses. Huizinga sees the best of the late-medieval spirit preserved in the visual arts, especially Flemish painting, rather than in the literary forms, which he pronounces "tiring and boring". The reader is inclined to agree.
While the "gods of antiquity" were never completely lost in the Middle Ages - only forced underground - a "new tone of life" had to emerge before the Renaissance could take hold.

For budding medievalists and Renaissance scholars, this book is still an indispensable study guide, mainly because of its abundant source material; but it requires patience and perseverance on the part of the reader. The translation is sometimes a little murky and contains some inaccuracies, especially in the copious Latin and French quotations. This detracts only slightly from the Herculean effort of rendering an older canonical work into fluent English.

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars superlative, February 5, 2004

By 

Caraculiambro (La Mancha and environs) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Waning of the Middle Ages (Paperback)

Though this book is absolutely excellent (though the style takes a little getting used to), it shouldn't be the first book you read on the Middle Ages.

I say that not so much because the book is difficult, as because it's elliptical. The book has a lot of discussion about themes prevalent in the art and literature of the later Middle Ages, but it's not a "history": it doesn't tell you what happened.

For example, to make a point about fastidious medieval protocol, Huizinga relates an anecdote about the battle of Crecy. But he never explains what the battle was, who fought in it, or why it was important. He assumes you already know that stuff, so don't come to this book looking for a more straightforward history. This is more a discussion of the major themes and movements of the age, divided by chapter.

Another thing you should know: the lion's share of the discussion in the book has to do with the low countries.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars classic view of aesthetics and life, June 22, 2001

By 

Robert J. Crawford (Balmette Talloires, France) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Waning of the Middle Ages (Paperback)

I first read this book 25 years ago in college. At the time, it was one of those book I just wanted to get through for a grade, but there were details of it I remembered, such as the common practice of sllicing apples into thirds to represent the Trinity.

Well, picking up this book to re-read while living in Europe turned out to be a far greater pleasure than I imagined. Huizinga offers an elegant portrait of an entire era, the Late Middle Ages, in both visual and intellectual detail. You learn about codes of honor, the different ways in which life was perceived, and the practices of love. It is beautifully written and vivid.

There are limitation to the approach, of course. It is not about economics or living standards. It does not function as a survey, and hence the reader must have solid knowledge of medieval history before starting the book. You will have to get these elsewhere. But if you come to this book with the right expectations, it is fascinating and wonderful from cover to cover.

Warmly recommended.