So...I only finished half of Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Tom Send a noteboard - 05/03/2010 02:11:08 AM
The way the Everyman's Library breaks up the books, I'm 127 pages into the fourth volume. Based on how biased Gibbon is against the Byzantine Empire, I'm wondering whether or not it's even worth wasting my time to read the 1700 remaining pages in volumes IV-VI. After all, the book is famous for Gibbon's scholarship on the fall of the Western Empire. I've read Norwich's three-volume history of Byzantium and I like the history of Byzantium generally, and I feel that Gibbon is going to be a frustrating read given his low opinion of Byzantium.
On the other hand, it's a historically significant work and Gibbon's style is wonderful. He pokes and makes fun and is dripping with irony, and every now and then he leaves some fun and racy graphic passages in Greek and Latin (finding the odd mentula makes me laugh like a 10-year-old seeing "fuck" in print).
What do people here think?
On the other hand, it's a historically significant work and Gibbon's style is wonderful. He pokes and makes fun and is dripping with irony, and every now and then he leaves some fun and racy graphic passages in Greek and Latin (finding the odd mentula makes me laugh like a 10-year-old seeing "fuck" in print).
What do people here think?
Political correctness is the pettiest form of casuistry.
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
So...I only finished half of Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
- 05/03/2010 02:11:08 AM
626 Views
I found it hard to finish
- 05/03/2010 02:10:19 PM
453 Views
The emperors tend to run together far before the middle
- 05/03/2010 02:34:55 PM
466 Views
My copy is one single book and I can't remember which volume I stopped on
- 05/03/2010 06:06:29 PM
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Ah...you probably have the abridged version.
- 05/03/2010 08:01:57 PM
513 Views
Finish it. It's an important piece of literature.
- 05/03/2010 02:22:08 PM
475 Views
I own Norwich's History of Venice (Folio Society edition) but haven't read it yet.
- 05/03/2010 02:30:55 PM
469 Views
The Dutch Republic takes a while to get into. Too much back story. Far far too long for
- 05/03/2010 04:10:20 PM
590 Views
Finish it
- 05/03/2010 04:47:15 PM
429 Views
It is well written. Of course, it's hard to stay excited about it.
- 05/03/2010 08:12:21 PM
412 Views
I need to get into Byzantium. I'm hoping to do a senior thesis on Byzantine diplomacy. *NM*
- 07/03/2010 06:42:49 AM
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