The Eleventh Volume in The Story of Civilization!
In this, the eleventh volume in the critically acclaimed series "The Story of Civilization," Dr. Will and Ariel Durant have compiled a masterly recount of the incredible sequence of events that led Europe out of the Enlightenment and into the Age of Democracy.
The reader is treated to a detailed narration of: The revolution in France. The revolutionary leaders such as Robespierre. Marat. The rise of Napoleon. The fall of Napoleon. The life of Napoleon. The poetry of Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron and Shelley. The philosophy of Schelling and Hegel. The music of Beethoven. And much, much more including plates and maps.
Written to stand alone or within the landmark series, the Durants have composed a historical retelling in smooth prose which is easy to read and understand by both professional and layperson alike. In short, this book is for everyone interested in European history. A benchmark in a class of its own, I rate this text at five stars. Wonderful!
A great perpective
Yes, this book presents an Anglo perspective of Napoleon and his time in Europe. Still, the work of the Durans is fantastic as it captures historical elements from sources as diverse as visual arts, philosophy, literature as well as the customs of the time. The work is also rich in research and references, presenting numerous scripts from Napoleon himself and his subordinates.After reading this book, I was encouraged to buy the whole collection the Durans produced and I am very happy to have done so.
The Age of Napoleon through the eyes on an Anglophile.
Generally, the series of books written by Will and Ariel Durant is an enormous project, which the authors produced in a workman-like manner. Yes, they are pedants, and the works have a kind of lets-hurry-along flavor; a lets-get-it-all-in aura.The Durants are Anglophiles, and it shows here. Too much Wellington, and too many British viewpoints, which were in the 19th Century and are to this day stacked against Napoleon, in particular, and the French, in general.
Reading this book, one gets the feeling, that the authors can hardly wait to get to the part about the Battle of Waterloo.
Anyone interested in Napoleon -- the man, and his works -- can find more comprehensive studies by other authors.
The Durant's writing style can sometimes be confusing to the uninitiated. They tend to string long sentences together with semicolins; using pronouns to the point of confusion for the reader.
There is a lot of information here, but this is not a great book. It is a very broad, shallow history giving only a mild flavor, not a real taste of the "Frenchness" of the Age of Napoleon. Francophiles and fans of the Emperor should look elsewhere.
Don't buy a book buy a pedant
William Durant is just a pedant who cannot appreciate a hero's greatness. Don't buy or read his books unless you are a useless pedantic fool like him with no hot blood in your vein.
Excellent overview of the Napoleonic period
The Durant's have done an excellent job in capturing the flavor of the era of Napoleon. The book gives you an excellent overview of military, social, religious, philosophic, and moral attitudes of the day. One should keep in mind, however, that the book is an overview and thus does not deal too deeply with any one subject. This should not be seen as a flaw however but a product of the aim of the work, to summarize the conditions during Napoleon's time. The book is easy to read and is written to be understood by the average reader. A definite must have for any French history or Napoleon buff.
(7 reviews)
