Thucydides: the Reinvention of History PDF Book

THUCYDIDES: THE REINVENTION OF HISTORY PDF, EPUB, EBOOK

Absent from this brief but well-argued book, then, is the Thucydides some of us venerate, the one whose warnings against the less tangible depredations of war echo down the centuries -- of how, for example, language itself can suffer when the battle is joined. I highly recommend this book for the depth of its analysis, the clear presentation of the history itself, and the quality of Kagan's writing and research. The key impression one is left with is that there was a fundamental tension within the man between the historian who wrote for eternity, and the statesman and general who was attempting to defend policies which his era considered to have failed. What a Greek Drama there. View all copies of this ISBN edition:. Lists with This Book. Critic Reviews "Yale professor of classics Kagan thoroughly examines Thucydides' life and work to successfully demonstrate that the Athenian historian was the first to utilize a truly professional i. He seemed to be trying to make a point about how Thucydides treated history different than others. By: P. Kagan's argument is well-supported, and straightforwardly presented. But I think I missed that, too. Adding to library failed. His four-volume History of the Peloponnesian War is the leading scholarly work on the subject. Enlarge cover. Email address. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. He uses a number of artistic devices to do this - his selection of speeches and the juxtaposition of events foremost among them. Manufacturers, suppliers and others provide what you see here, and we have not verified it. Adopting some of the ideas as to how culture is absorbed and transmitted that Ginzberg developed in The Cheese and the Worms, we can even say that the History still shapes how we think about the past and, indeed, how we imagine historical cause and effect. Surely they would have returned in dishonour, and probably been executed. But, I learned a lot about the period, and about Thucydides specifically. Learn more. Mar 21, Jackson Cyril rated it it was amazing. A warm and witty saga about agribusiness, environmental activism, and community—from the celebrated author of This study offers readers a remarkable opportunity to experience one great historian engaging another across the centuries. BMCR Thucydides: The Reinvention of History. I enjoyed that course so much that I put on hold several of his books. It took me months to finish, and it didn't bother me. In short, there does not appear to be a lot of new stuff in this book. Third, the book displays Kagan's remarkable clarity and depth. More than any historian in antiquity he put the highest value on accuracy and objectivity, but we must not forget he was a human being with human feelings and foibles. By careful argument Kagan puts the record straight. Hardcover , pages. Few so well understood the machinations of the human heart and mind when facing the extremities of the human predicament -- plague, betrayal, defeat and abject humiliation in war -- and fewer still could distill the hard-won wisdom of experience into tight, shimmering phrases and radiant, lapidary passages, which is why so many generations of students have had to read him. Kagan argues that Thucydides was writing against the popular consensus of the day, and that his History should be treated as a revisionist work, and an partisan pro-Pericles work. Thucydides: The Reinvention of History Writer

So if you find a current lower price from an online retailer on an identical, in-stock product, tell us and we'll match it. Nov 21, Frank Kelly rated it really liked it Shelves: , north-africa , central-asia , classic , great-books , europe , africa. But a reader should be aware that there is far more going on in Thucydides than what Kagan chooses to interact with. The assessment is entirely sound. In fact, it was the capture of the Spartan force on Pylos that allowed the war to last as long as it did. Shop Our Brands. Mobile apps. He regarded the war between Athens and Sparta as the greatest and most significant that the world had seen to that date, and that the lessons it taught would therefore be of perpetual importance to mankind. That would require broader engagement with the arguments Kagan sets out in greater detail in his four-volume history—and occasionally one can criticise this book for taking that earlier work for granted: one needs to turn, for instance, to Peace of Nicias , p. Your question required. New Hardcover Quantity Available: 1. Seller Inventory S Winner of the National Humanities Medal for , and a prominent social and political critic, his graduate courses include seminars in the writings of selected Greek historians and in selected periods in Greek history. Owen Gardner Finnegan. Multiple Choice. More filters. Kagan also, especially at the end, emphasizes that Thucydides presents the truth and makes an argument for its interpretation, as opposed to misrepresentation of the facts. Something has gone awry on p. It would be better titled Thucydides and the Peloponnesian War - which wouldn't have appealed to me as much, because I'm not quite as in l I bought this book ages ago because I was fascinated by the idea of finding out more about Thucydides. This was the first book of his that I read. Return to Book Page. Write a review See all reviews Write a review. By: Thucydides. Overview The bestselling author of The Peloponnesian War examines Thucydides as the first modern historian. His claim to be the first-ever rigorous historian is backed by the fact that he was actually there, at the outset as a senior participant and then as an avid spectator of all that happened. But then it bugs me that Thuc is enlisted in our world affairs the way he is. Critic Reviews "Yale professor of classics Kagan thoroughly examines Thucydides' life and work to successfully demonstrate that the Athenian historian was the first to utilize a truly professional i. Singer , and others. I completely understand Kagan needs to outline the war in order to discuss Thucydides While I found the whole of the text was informative, I had two sincere issues with this book: 1. Still, it is a good book and one very competently read. Read that one too! The key impression one is left with is that there was a fundamental tension within the man between the historian who wrote for eternity, and the statesman and general who was attempting to defend policies which his era considered to have failed. See more. Seller Inventory DH29pgto In the process Thucydides sought to defend the reputation not only of Pericles but also Nicias, leader of both the peace party and of the disastrous Sicilian campaign. It has remained on all relevant reading lists since. Thucydides: The Reinvention of History Reviews

Customer Service. There is a discussion of the workings of the Athenian democracy. He is also the author of many books on ancient and modern topics. I was fascinated by Kagan's reinterpretation of Thucydides and Kagan's faith in democracy -- a faith I believe Thucydides rightly didn't share. The book proceeds by looking at key events in the Peloponnesian War - in particular, the military strategy developed by Pericles, the success at Sphacteria, and the disastrous campaign on Sicily - and contrasts the analyses and assessments made by Thucydides with the evidence he marshals, pointing out how on a number of occasions the two can only be made consistent with a degree of intellectual gymnastics or rhetorical sleight of hand. See details. Each time I've read about the Peloponnesian War I finish the book or article thinking of how Thucydides was an early master of real politick. His claim to be the first-ever rigorous historian is backed by the fact that he was actually there, at the outset as a senior participant and then as an avid spectator of all that happened. His four-volume History of the Peloponnesian War is the leading scholarly work on the subject. At the least, it suggests that when looking at any past man or woman of office who has taken up the pen to write history, we should perhaps heed the warning of another historian - "One thing therefore History will do: pity them all; for it went hard with them all. Mar 19, Alexandra rated it liked it Shelves: history , read-in Other Popular Editions of the Same Title. Now, Kagan-one of the most respected classical historians in the world-turns his attention from one of the greatest conflicts in history to the author who so magnificently chronicled it: Thucydides, the first truly modern historian. Liddell Hart. Feb 08, Andy Miller rated it liked it. Harl Length: 18 hrs and 2 mins Original Recording Overall. Gripping listeners and readers for more than 2, years, The Iliad is the story of the Trojan War and the rage of Achilles. Nevertheless Kagan, like many of us, acknowledges Thucydides' greatness-- not least because as Kagan half-smilingly admits , all the facts used to demonstrate Thucydides' falsity must ultimately mined from his own history. So influential has he been, that two-and-a-half millennia later luminaries like Hayden White and Dominick LaCapra are still unteasing the threads of the genre he created. In his analysis of the treatment of Nicias, he clearly articulates that Thucydides is sometimes less than successful. This was an interesting but by no means an easy read. The book, just like Thucydides, aims at the educated reader and provides an excellent discussion of the way the historian structured his work and how content, but also omissions, serve his purpose, that is to show that the Athenian mob was responsible for the defeat because they departed from the wise leadership of gifted men, such as Pericles. Readers also enjoyed. Gass has written of Donald Barthelme that he has permanently enlarged our perception of the possibilities open to short fiction. There were a great number of public servants chosen by lot by the assembly;such things as market inspectors were even chosen by lot. Free with a day trial.

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Mind you, the one oddity that still sits in my mind is this whole thing with the Spartans captured at Pylos. Kagan argues that when Thucydides composed his magnificent history, he did so with revisionist zeal; that is, that despite his declaration that he will declare simply the facts an assertion for which he earned Nietzsche's rare approbation , Thucydides deliberately conceals and distorts certain facts, while also denouncing his political enemies to all posterity. So I was disappointed. Grayling is an author, playwright, reviewer, cultural journalist, and professor of philosophy at London University. Moreover Thucydides claimed that he wrote his history in a thoroughly scientific spirit, with neutrality and dispassion, seeking the objective truth by sifting and examining evidence and weighing the inconsistencies between different accounts of what happened. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. Enlarge cover. Amazon Reviews. In a way, it seems that hesitation was the main problem here. The idea was to hide behind the walls and let the Spartans ravage the countryside. Okay, maybe that was just Simon Whistler when he was talking about the pyramids , but I sort of do tend to agree with him especially since Herodotus completely ignores the existence of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah. Ask a question Ask a question If you would like to share feedback with us about pricing, delivery or other customer service issues, please contact customer service directly. The task Kagan set himself has been to reveal the motives of the man behind the maxims, not to chip away at this monolith that remains a landmark for students of the past. Community Reviews. The Greeks, what a people. There is a discussion of the workings of the Athenian democracy. Related Searches. Harl Length: 18 hrs and 2 mins Original Recording Overall. Jun 27, Sigrid Fry-Revere rated it really liked it. It all sounded plausible, but I've no basis to argue for or against it. It's only by recognizing and appreciating the authorial presentation that we can truly value the informatio Kagan's popular-level introduction to Thucydides and historiography in general should be mandated reading for all students of history. Please try again. I don't qualify. This is a work which enriches our understanding of a classic and notoriously difficult text, written by a master classicist. By looking at the intra-texutal clues, and available other evidence, Kagan shows that much of Thucydides goal was to persuade or dissuade his fellow Greeks from their commonly held beliefs. Recent searches Clear All. Stream or download thousands of included titles. Categories: History , Ancient History. By: Tom Holland. But here's my preliminary impression. Sure, it was a powder keg, and there had already been two wars fought in the Balkans, but this third one ended up exploding beyond all expectations, resulting in one of the bloodiest wars in history. Condition: Brand New. Few equal him in either attribute. Brilliant, innovative, beautiful. It is said that he was handsome, wealthy, and a highly respected citizen of Athens. T says no, it was the fault of demagogueic post-Periclean democracy. More devoted to the evaluating Thucydides' scholarship and mindset then recounting the narrative of the Peloponnesian War, as a result it read more like a history paper than a story which made it less fun. One can't help walk away from Thucydides description of the Sicilian Expedition and the treatment of Nicias, in particular, without appreciation the author's apparent frustration with the events as they unfolded. A unique blending of emotional and intellectual experience. Eight Great Comedies. Foul Matter. The title of this book is a partly misleading. I completely understand Kagan needs to outline the war in order to discuss Thucydides While I found the whole of the text was informative, I had two sincere issues with this book: 1.

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