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Jacques Barzun

From Dawn to Decadence: 1500 to the Present: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life Paperback – May 15, 2001

by Jacques Barzun (Author)

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"A stunning five-century study of civilization's cultural retreat." — William Safire, New York Times

Highly regarded here and abroad for some thirty works of cultural history and criticism, master historian Jacques Barzun has set down in one continuous narrative the sum of his discoveries and conclusions about the whole of Western culture since 1500.

Barzun describes what Western Man wrought from the Renaissance and Reformation down to the present in the double light of its own time and our pressing concerns. He introduces characters and incidents with his unusual literary style and grace, bringing to the fore those that have been forgotten or obscured. His compelling chapters—such as "Puritans as Democrats," "The Monarchs' Revolution," and "The Artist Prophet and Jester"—show the recurrent role of great themes throughout the era.

The triumphs and defeats of five hundred years form an inspiring saga that modifies the current impression of one long tale of oppression by white European males. Women and their deeds are prominent, and freedom (even in sexual matters) is not an invention of the last decades. And when Barzun rates the present not as a culmination but a decline, he is in no way a prophet of doom. Instead, he shows decadence as the normal close of great periods and a necessary condition of the creative novelty that will burst forth—tomorrow or the next day.

Only after a lifetime of separate studies covering a broad territory could a writer create with such ease the synthesis displayed in this magnificent volume.

Print length

912 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Harper Perennial
Publication date

May 15, 2001
Dimensions

8.1 x 6.1 x 1.7 inches
ISBN-10

0060928832
ISBN-13

978-0060928834
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A stunning five-century study of civilization’s cultural retreat.” -- William Safire, New York Times

“Barzun writes with unfailing, stylish lucidity and enlivens his vast tale with ingenious devices.” -- The New Yorker

“How many times in one’s life does one get to welcome a masterpiece, which, without a doubt, this amazing work certainly is?” -- National Review

“[From Dawn to Decadence] is arguably the best thinking man’s bedside book ever written.” -- Peter Green, Times Literary Supplement

“Jacques Barzun’s summa is the work of a very great historian and of a seer. The phrase from the Bible is apposite: ‘The hearing ear, and the seeing eye’ is his great gift--and a gift to his readers.” -- John Lukacs, author of Five Days in London

About the Author

Born in France in 1907, Jacques Barzun came to the United States in 1920. After graduating from Columbia College, he joined the faculty of the university, becoming Seth Low Professor of History and, for a decade, Dean of Faculties and Provost. The author of some thirty books, including the New York Times bestseller From Dawn to Decadence, he received the Gold Medal for Criticism from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, of which he was twice president. He lived in San Antonio, Texas, before passing away at age 104.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial; 1st edition (May 15, 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 912 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0060928832
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060928834
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.8 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.1 x 6.1 x 1.7 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #58,920 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #200 in History of Civilization & Culture
- #650 in European History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
383 ratings

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4 star		11%
3 star		7%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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reading man

An Old-Timer Flapping His Gums?

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2018

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Barzun is from a foreign country--not France, where he was born in 1907, but from the now distant cultural past where professorial erudition was to be admired and, as far as possible, emulated.

I'm old enough to remember when Barzun, Lionel Trilling, W.H. Auden, and numerous other "New York intellectuals" were role models for serious students of the liberal arts a.k.a. the humanities. They believed--and I still do--that knowledge of the past through the deep study of literature and the other arts, history, philosophy, political theory, theology, was the necessary condition for a person to achieve full humanity. It was a lifelong task, but also a lot of fun even if you had to sweat and strain to understand complex matters that the geniuses of the past and present concerned themselves with.

This has all gone now. Erudition has become at best a form of the higher "trivial pursuit", and university students waste their time writing theses about pop culture and inane views that are the detritus of post-modernist nonsense.

Barzun's book could be seen as a corrective to this cultural degeneration, but anyone who suffers from it won't get very far without dismissing him as a fussy "elitist" who's invincibly out of touch with the Important Issues of 2018.

Just think: this was a man who about 80 years ago dismissed the notion of "race" as a myth!

72 people found this helpful

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Weehawker

A classic in its own time.

Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2018

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This book is one of the Greatest written in modern times. As one of the reviews says, it is already a classic, as it came off the presses. The author remembered hearing the artillery off in the distance while a child in France; he died in Texas a bit over one hundred years of age. He said for anyone to truly understand America, they should understand Base Ball. If half the people that claim to be college educated read it, maybe we - as Modern Westerners - would not be slouching so rapidly towards the decadence referenced in the title. Oh, well ...... Sic Transit Gloria Mundi. What a great book this is. Thanks.

23 people found this helpful

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Sharon Knettell

Every artist interested in beauty in art should read this.

Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2013

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There have been many caustic comments about Barzun's seeming artistic and political conservatism. I don't see that and I am politically quite progressive.One thing he is doing, regarding the arts (one area discussed) is a call for standards- craft- not slovenliness and a return from the destruction of the anti-art of Dada and Du Champ.

A totally remarkable book, written by an erudite, educated man conversant with science, politics, philosophy, music and art. This book covers an arc from 1500 and Martin Luther to fin-de -siecle of the 20th century. It is attempt to answer the question- why we have the art culture and politics of each age and whether we are in decline.

It is a surprising page turner, and witty. Don't be afraid of the 800 pages- you will regret it's ending.

Most contemporary artists consider any criticism as reactionary and bourgeois- they reserve the right to shock, use any detritus as art and deface wall without boundaries. He explains that unfortunate trajectory with the onset of Dadaism and the destructive impulses born of World war One. Why one feel that graffiti must be "the peoples art- must they have something so cheap, so easily done with spray cans?

I don't agree with everything he says- but the book is an education. I recommend it to any artist at sea regarding his work ( most of us). It helps explains why beauty is in the dustbin.

36 people found this helpful

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Sam Eaton

A Masterpiece

Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2017

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This book is a masterpiece of rational thinking and research. As a 72 year old retired NCO and Vietnam War Vet the book touched a lot of sore spots

17 people found this helpful

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D. Howard

BEST...BOOK...EVER

Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2012

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OK, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. But certainly one of the top ten history books ever written. Barzun is a genius, and this book is his magnum opus, encapsulating in the neighborhood of 70 years of teaching and writing experience by one of the most influential intellectuals of the 20th century. How do you cram 500 years into 800 pages and make it interesting? It's not an easy or a quick read (mostly, for me, because I had to stop every couple of pages and spend half the afternoon looking stuff up on Wiki), but it's no exaggeration to say he's the most learned scholar I've ever read. Just ridiculous how smart and well-read this man was (he just passed away in Oct 2012, at 104). Some will say he spent too much time on this, or too little time on that, or that he doesn't kowtow to the establishment enough. He was his own man, and practically invented cultural history, so he's not easily or lightly dismissed. His authority speaks volumes. He was French, and was a Romantic scholar, being credited for (among very many other things) the revival of Berlioz; distrusted rigid thought, in education, science, politics, etc; and clearly thought that the West had cannibalised itself with revolution turning into nihilism. He was, however, in the end very much an optimist about people. Get yourself a hardback copy; this one is going to be on your shelf for a long time.

26 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

SundogUK

An essential part of an history education.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 6, 2021

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If you haven't read it, you aren't educated in history.

2 people found this helpful

Laura

Good book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 30, 2019

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Heavy book, in more ways than one, but i enjoyed dipping in and out of it in-between other books I was reading.

2 people found this helpful

Lee Porter

If this is not at the top of every history reading list, the list is wrong.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 15, 2014

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An outstanding history of the decline of western civilisation. This should be must reading in all 5th year history classes (and probably even a prerequisite for gaining the vote)! It details the rise of the demotic in outstanding detail.

3 people found this helpful

john in bulgaria

A VERY THOUHT-PROVKING TOME!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 13, 2013

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I found this book so very interesting, with so many 'hints' to read other tomes.

What may I say, I cannot really express my feelings, except that I am very happy and satisfied with this book!

I would recommend it to everybody and anyone!

2 people found this helpful

Colette A.Ware

A Wise and Learned History for the 21st Century

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 17, 2013

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Barzun's dedication is apposite. His understanding of the last 500 hundred years is masterly. These centuries have made us what we are but are not judged with the standards of the present.The extent of his knowledge is astonishing and is so skillfully woven into the narrative. Nothing is superfluous but illuminates our knowledge of the present. This reader will return to the book again and again.

2 people found this helpful