书名: The Ends of Life: Roads to Fulfillment in Early Modern England
作者: Keith Thomas (Author)
出版社: Oxford University Press, USA (May 15, 2009)
语言: English
ISBN-10: 0199247234
ISBN-13: 978-0199247233
Book Description
Stretching from the beginning of the Reformation to the heyday of the Enlightenment, here is a masterful exploration of the ways in which people sought to lead fulfilling lives, illuminating the central values of this key period, while casting incidental light on some of the perennial problems of human existence. Keith Thomas, one of the foremost historians of our time, sheds light on the origins of the modern ideal of human fulfillment and explores the many obstacles to its realization, looking at work, wealth, possessions friendship, family, and sociability. The book looks at the cult of military prowess, the pursuit of honor and reputation, the nature of religious belief, and the desire to be posthumously remembered. The Ends of Life offers a fresh approach to the history of early modern England, providing modern readers with much food for thought on the problem of how we should live and what goals in life we should pursue.
Review
"Thomas's style is sharp, wry, often amused, the product of a unique intellect that steers away from false generalizations and embraces ambiguity.... He saves us from the cardinal sin of thinking that the past was simple, and that we have grasped it.... Through these pages we revisit not just old mentalities but wasted hopes and dreams." -- New York Review of Books
"As Thomas's own connecting prose is graceful and sometimes crisply epigrammatic, 'The Ends of Life' is a pleasure to read." -- Michael Dirda, The Washington Post
"Keith Thomas's intimate knowledge of English life in the years between the Reformation and the American Revolution makes The Ends of Life the rare historical work that is as absorbing as it is deep.... The Ends of Life is one of those rare history books that let us appreciate both the strangeness of early modern people and our own roots in their emerging individualism and consumerism. The author has an appealingly pragmatic outlook and a penchant for sardonic humor." -- Edward Tenner, The Wilson Quarterly
"...his minutely researched study The Ends of Life.... He is an elegant writer, with a dry and understated way of expressing his always sharp insights.... In it Thomas gives us a rich mixture of the expected and the unexpected." -- Barnes & Noble Review
"Captivating. Reading this book in company must be irritating to others because it is so hard to resist reading so much of it loud. It is just full of wonderful sentences and phrases....The Ends of Life deserves to be cherished as a glorious late supplement to Robert Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy and John Aubrey's Brief Lives." -- David Sexton, Evening Standard
"It takes phenomenal learning and scholarly chutzpah to pull off a book like this. Happily, Thomas has deep reserves of both....a brave and sensitive book." -- Jonathan Wright, The Independent on Sunday
"...dazzling erudition...urbanity...wit...suppleness of language.... There cannot have been a more widely read historian or one with his capacity to impose order on so formidable a range of material." -- Blair Worden, Standpoint
"He has taken a mighty subject...and he treats it mightilythe result is pure delight.... This is peerless scholarship lightly worn." -- John Morrill, BBC History Magazine
"Enchanting...not a dull page, nor a paragraph without a piquant fact or quotation." -- Ferdinand Mount, Spectator
"A fascinating read." -- Lisa Jardine, Financial Times
"Thomas' prodigious familiarity with the writings of that age gives him exceptional powers of observation." -- Graham Parry, Guardian
"No one will ever know early modern England again as intimately, as immediately, as exhaustively, as Keith Thomas now does. A delight to read. Dry, sardonic, pithy, constantly interesting.. It is hard, indeed, to imagine a better introduction to the early modern world. It will be immediately and universally recognized as indispensable, not just for historians, but for anyone interested in the past." -- David Wootton, TLS
"Endlessly fascinating.... elegant, incisive and entertaining." -- Tim Blanning, Sunday Telegraph
"A triumphal demonstration that one of our leading historians is still at the height of his powers." -- Peter Marshall, Literary Review
"...exhilaratingly illuminating..." -- Michael Kerrigan, Scotsman
"Where Thomas excels, as ever, is in his eye for luminous supporting detail." -- D.J.Taylor, The Independent
"...a revelation....fascinating" -- John Carey, Sunday Times
About the Author
Sir Keith Thomas is a Fellow of All Souls College and former President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. A former trustee of the National Gallery and the British Museum, he is an Honorary Vice-President of the Royal Historical Society and was President of the British Academy between 1993 and 1997.
[thread=24203]论坛相关讨论主题[/thread]
作者: Keith Thomas (Author)
出版社: Oxford University Press, USA (May 15, 2009)
语言: English
ISBN-10: 0199247234
ISBN-13: 978-0199247233
Book Description
Stretching from the beginning of the Reformation to the heyday of the Enlightenment, here is a masterful exploration of the ways in which people sought to lead fulfilling lives, illuminating the central values of this key period, while casting incidental light on some of the perennial problems of human existence. Keith Thomas, one of the foremost historians of our time, sheds light on the origins of the modern ideal of human fulfillment and explores the many obstacles to its realization, looking at work, wealth, possessions friendship, family, and sociability. The book looks at the cult of military prowess, the pursuit of honor and reputation, the nature of religious belief, and the desire to be posthumously remembered. The Ends of Life offers a fresh approach to the history of early modern England, providing modern readers with much food for thought on the problem of how we should live and what goals in life we should pursue.
Review
"Thomas's style is sharp, wry, often amused, the product of a unique intellect that steers away from false generalizations and embraces ambiguity.... He saves us from the cardinal sin of thinking that the past was simple, and that we have grasped it.... Through these pages we revisit not just old mentalities but wasted hopes and dreams." -- New York Review of Books
"As Thomas's own connecting prose is graceful and sometimes crisply epigrammatic, 'The Ends of Life' is a pleasure to read." -- Michael Dirda, The Washington Post
"Keith Thomas's intimate knowledge of English life in the years between the Reformation and the American Revolution makes The Ends of Life the rare historical work that is as absorbing as it is deep.... The Ends of Life is one of those rare history books that let us appreciate both the strangeness of early modern people and our own roots in their emerging individualism and consumerism. The author has an appealingly pragmatic outlook and a penchant for sardonic humor." -- Edward Tenner, The Wilson Quarterly
"...his minutely researched study The Ends of Life.... He is an elegant writer, with a dry and understated way of expressing his always sharp insights.... In it Thomas gives us a rich mixture of the expected and the unexpected." -- Barnes & Noble Review
"Captivating. Reading this book in company must be irritating to others because it is so hard to resist reading so much of it loud. It is just full of wonderful sentences and phrases....The Ends of Life deserves to be cherished as a glorious late supplement to Robert Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy and John Aubrey's Brief Lives." -- David Sexton, Evening Standard
"It takes phenomenal learning and scholarly chutzpah to pull off a book like this. Happily, Thomas has deep reserves of both....a brave and sensitive book." -- Jonathan Wright, The Independent on Sunday
"...dazzling erudition...urbanity...wit...suppleness of language.... There cannot have been a more widely read historian or one with his capacity to impose order on so formidable a range of material." -- Blair Worden, Standpoint
"He has taken a mighty subject...and he treats it mightilythe result is pure delight.... This is peerless scholarship lightly worn." -- John Morrill, BBC History Magazine
"Enchanting...not a dull page, nor a paragraph without a piquant fact or quotation." -- Ferdinand Mount, Spectator
"A fascinating read." -- Lisa Jardine, Financial Times
"Thomas' prodigious familiarity with the writings of that age gives him exceptional powers of observation." -- Graham Parry, Guardian
"No one will ever know early modern England again as intimately, as immediately, as exhaustively, as Keith Thomas now does. A delight to read. Dry, sardonic, pithy, constantly interesting.. It is hard, indeed, to imagine a better introduction to the early modern world. It will be immediately and universally recognized as indispensable, not just for historians, but for anyone interested in the past." -- David Wootton, TLS
"Endlessly fascinating.... elegant, incisive and entertaining." -- Tim Blanning, Sunday Telegraph
"A triumphal demonstration that one of our leading historians is still at the height of his powers." -- Peter Marshall, Literary Review
"...exhilaratingly illuminating..." -- Michael Kerrigan, Scotsman
"Where Thomas excels, as ever, is in his eye for luminous supporting detail." -- D.J.Taylor, The Independent
"...a revelation....fascinating" -- John Carey, Sunday Times
About the Author
Sir Keith Thomas is a Fellow of All Souls College and former President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. A former trustee of the National Gallery and the British Museum, he is an Honorary Vice-President of the Royal Historical Society and was President of the British Academy between 1993 and 1997.
[thread=24203]论坛相关讨论主题[/thread]
