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The Swerve: How the World Became Modern

by Stephen Greenblatt

Published: 2011-09-26
Hardcover : 368 pages

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Recommended to book clubs by 4 of 4 members

A riveting tale of the great cultural "swerve" known as the Renaissance.

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Introduction

A riveting tale of the great cultural "swerve" known as the Renaissance.

One of the world's most celebrated scholars, Stephen Greenblatt has crafted both an innovative work of history and a thrilling story of discovery, in which one manuscript, plucked from a thousand years of neglect, changed the course of human thought and made possible the world as we know it.

Nearly six hundred years ago, a short, genial, cannily alert man in his late thirties took a very old manuscript off a library shelf, saw with excitement what he had discovered, and ordered that it be copied. That book was the last surviving manuscript of an ancient Roman philosophical epic, On the Nature of Things, by Lucretius?a beautiful poem of the most dangerous ideas: that the universe functioned without the aid of gods, that religious fear was damaging to human life, and that matter was made up of very small particles in eternal motion, colliding and swerving in new directions.

The copying and translation of this ancient book-the greatest discovery of the greatest book-hunter of his age-fueled the Renaissance, inspiring artists such as Botticelli and thinkers such as Giordano Bruno; shaped the thought of Galileo and Freud, Darwin and Einstein; and had a revolutionary influence on writers such as Montaigne and Shakespeare and even Thomas Jefferson. 16 pages full-color illustrations

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by paintbabe (see profile) 08/14/14

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Book Club Recommendations

Recommended to book clubs by 4 of 4 members.

Counter view for THE SWERVE

by paintbabe (see profile) 08/14/14

Just to give voice to the opposing critics of THE SWERVE, be sure to read Jim Hinch\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s article online on THE SWERVE: HOW THE WORLD BECAME MODERN/ Why Stephen Greenblatt is Wrong - and Why It Matters (December 2012). The author makes good points to what is wrong with Greenblatt\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s non-fiction book. Make sure your book club members like to read history.

Member Reviews

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by Pat S. (see profile) 08/14/14

"How the World Got Its SWERVE on"by Joanne S. (see profile) 08/14/14

Fascinating non-fiction book that reads like fiction. You've probably read the description about the book already so I won't be redundant. I will say that this book will provide lots of discussion with... (read more)

"The Swerve"by Jan E. (see profile) 07/23/13

Difficult to follow at times but well written. A very interesting take on one philosopher's theory and how it could not be suppressed over the centuries.

"The Swerve - How the World Became Modern"by Chris W. (see profile) 04/24/12

For this reader, The Swerve was well-written and quite interesting. However, other club members had trouble "getting into it." I would be certain, before selecting this book for a club read, that members... (read more)

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