liana's review against another edition
I can not, I dare not, rate this book. Seriously, I tried but I find it impossible to do so. "Medieval Civilization 400-1500" is a great academic book. I can not begin to imagine how valuable it is for history students, especially those specializing in medieval studies. And as such, I appreciate it greatly; it is informative, beautifully written and full of knowledge.
When I picked it up, however, I had a completely different book in mind. I expected a different 'genre', a history book written for the masses and not for history buffs and/or students. This isn't to say that it is difficult to understand. Its language is very simple; but the entire book is so detailed that it often gets boring.
As a history enthusiast myself- and a future history student (ps. i got into uni, yaaay!!)- i can appreciate it for what it is: a book meant for people tremendously interested in history. But, since I was expecting something completely different, I skim-read most of its parts and only focused on the parts that interested me a lot, such as the position of women and children.
Despite finding it a bit boring for me at this certain period of my life, I believe I will probably purchase this book at some point- not as a light, Sunday read obviously, but as a guide to my studies and papers.
When I picked it up, however, I had a completely different book in mind. I expected a different 'genre', a history book written for the masses and not for history buffs and/or students. This isn't to say that it is difficult to understand. Its language is very simple; but the entire book is so detailed that it often gets boring.
As a history enthusiast myself- and a future history student (ps. i got into uni, yaaay!!)- i can appreciate it for what it is: a book meant for people tremendously interested in history. But, since I was expecting something completely different, I skim-read most of its parts and only focused on the parts that interested me a lot, such as the position of women and children.
Despite finding it a bit boring for me at this certain period of my life, I believe I will probably purchase this book at some point- not as a light, Sunday read obviously, but as a guide to my studies and papers.
smcleish's review
4.0
Originally published on my blog here in January 1999.
Medieval Civilization is an examination of the Middle Ages as a culture, an attempt to get into the minds of men and women quite alien to modern thought patters yet from whom modern culture derives.
Available for many years in France before being translated into English (at which point some revision was made), le Goff's work fits very much into the style of French historical writing whose best known exponent was Fernand Braudel. The earlier period of le Goff's interest has a much narrower range of available material, though the nine hundred years he covers is more stable than the rapid changes of early modern Europe which interested Braudel.
I found le Goff easier to take in than [a:Braudel|36648|Fernand Braudel|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1332190904p2/36648.jpg], who has a rather more dense style (at least, this is the case for their English translations). The differences between their chosen fields may have something to do with it; Braudel is more easily able to carry out closely argued analysis (since he has something to analyse), while le Goff has to use a broader brush. It works well, both in the short summary of the political history of Europe from the decline of the Roman Empire to the fifteenth century, and in the longer discussion of the culture that follows.
It is a most interesting book on the medieval period, one which I found particularly valuable to read because of its concentration on France rather than England (as you so often get in histories of Europe written in English); France was, after all, in the centre of medieval culture while England was on the periphery.
Medieval Civilization is an examination of the Middle Ages as a culture, an attempt to get into the minds of men and women quite alien to modern thought patters yet from whom modern culture derives.
Available for many years in France before being translated into English (at which point some revision was made), le Goff's work fits very much into the style of French historical writing whose best known exponent was Fernand Braudel. The earlier period of le Goff's interest has a much narrower range of available material, though the nine hundred years he covers is more stable than the rapid changes of early modern Europe which interested Braudel.
I found le Goff easier to take in than [a:Braudel|36648|Fernand Braudel|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1332190904p2/36648.jpg], who has a rather more dense style (at least, this is the case for their English translations). The differences between their chosen fields may have something to do with it; Braudel is more easily able to carry out closely argued analysis (since he has something to analyse), while le Goff has to use a broader brush. It works well, both in the short summary of the political history of Europe from the decline of the Roman Empire to the fifteenth century, and in the longer discussion of the culture that follows.
It is a most interesting book on the medieval period, one which I found particularly valuable to read because of its concentration on France rather than England (as you so often get in histories of Europe written in English); France was, after all, in the centre of medieval culture while England was on the periphery.
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