The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy
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The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy
Jacob Burckhardt
History
James Mustich
Jul 31, 2018
The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy is the epitome of a rare breed: the kind of book that, through the power of its fresh perspective, can shape for generations—perhaps forever—readers’ understanding of history, ideas, or experience. Written by a Swiss historian who fell under the spell of Italian culture during a tour made when he was nineteen years old, the “essay”—as the author modestly called it—defined a seminal period in the development of the West in a way previously unimagined, and subsequently indispensable. Rather than taking the conventional approach of chronicling strictly political or military history, Burckhardt considered the epic cultural transitions he studied as just that: cultural. By assessing the roles of religion, literature, art, and above all, the rebirth of individualism, along with the shift from superstition to science, Burckhardt fashioned a comprehensive account of perhaps the most influential period in the history of modern civilization. In so doing, he introduced the world not only to the Renaissance, but to the idea of cultural history—in a book that would define the field.
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Andrew Wiese
Mar 26, 2019
In such a short work, Burckhardt breathes so much life into the times and makes you understand the spirit of the Renaissance and its times.
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Jeremy Johnson
Jul 10, 2024
Important book for historiography.
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