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`History and the Enlightenment is a rallying cry for those who cherish history. The reading of it left me exultant.' --Richard Davenport-Hines, Literary Review, June 2010
`...sardonic, witty, elegant and shrewd, these essays confirm [Trevor-Roper's] status as one of the finest writers of the last half-century.'
--The Oldie, July 2010
`Intellectually stimulating and a delight to read.'
--Sunday Herald, 28th November 2010
`...sardonic, witty, elegant and shrewd, these essays confirm [Trevor-Roper's] status as one of the finest writers of the last half-century.'
--The Oldie, July 2010
`Intellectually stimulating and a delight to read.'
--Sunday Herald, 28th November 2010
Product Description
Arguably the leading British historian of his generation, Hugh Trevor-Roper (1914-2003) is most celebrated and admired as the author of essays. This volume brings together some of the most original and radical writings of his career - many hitherto inaccessible, one never before published, all demonstrating his piercing intellect, urbane wit, and gift for elegant, vivid narrative. This collection focuses on the writing and understanding of history in the eighteenth century and on the great historians and the intellectual context that inspired or provoked their writings. It combines incisive discussion of such figures as Gibbon, Hume and Carlyle with broad sweeps of analysis and explication. Essays on the Scottish Enlightenment and the Romantic movement are balanced by intimate portraits of lesser-known historians whose significance Trevor-Roper took particular delight in revealing.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
A coherent, elegant philosophic edifice constructed with well-crafted essays
22 Sep 2010
Format:Hardcover
This is a superb book. The editor has assembled a carefully crafted collection of pieces that, brick by brick, make the author's case for his perspective on Enlightenment history. And the author, of course, has provided the essays themselves, written with elegance, maturity, and wisdom. Each chapter takes a piece of the puzzle, whether it deals with the Enlightenment in Scotland, or change and ferment in religious orthodoxy, or a willingness by early historians of the period to break from a deductive, religious causality, or the different approaches to history in various European countries, and gradually builds the case for the profound change in writing history that occurred in 18th century Great Britain. For an American, the author's analysis has the added appeal of putting in perspective the intellectual milieu that existed at the time our Founders were formulating their views on independence from Great Britain and how a new nation should govern itself.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Another Superb Collection of Hugh Trevor-Roper Essays
15 Sep 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This collection of essays by the late Hugh Trevor-Roper, who died in 2003, is particularly welcome given the recent publication of Adam Sisman's fine biography of Trevor-Roper (also reviewed on Amazon). As Sisman explains, T-R was looked down a bit, despite his fine accomplishments, because he never published the "big book" that was expected. But as Sisman also explains, and this collection demonstrates, T-R more than made up for this shortcoming, if that is what it was, by publishing scads of wonderful essays which established his reputation as the finest historical essayist of the 20th century. T-R's unique mastery of this form of historical writing is much evident in this collection, edited by John Robertson of St. Hugh's College, Oxford.
Robertson's "Editor's Introduction," puts the various essays to follow into a helpful context, especially for those who are not familiar with T-R and his interests. Robertson has also taken much care with the essays' notes, supplementing some and adding references where none was published with the essay. In his appendix, "A Guide to Later Scholarship," he discusses some more recent work that pertains to T-R's topics. This update is very helpful because the essays were published mainly in the 1960's, 1980's, with the most recent being published in 1997.
The essays themselves, all tied somehow to the enlightenment and the writing of history, reflect some of T-R's most central interests. For example, there are three perceptive essays on Edward Gibbon, long a T-R favorite. I came to a much better understanding of why Gibbon is so important, both to the discipline of history, as well as to our substantive knowledge. The Scottish Enlightenment, an area in which T-R got even the Scots to take an interest, pops up in several of the essays, including a very interesting one on David Hume. Surprising to me, T-R devotes one essay to Sir Walter Scott and his contributions to the "romantic movement and the study of history." Thomas Carlyle was introduced to me in a study of his historical philosophy; I knew the name but never had read any of his work. Similarly, Lord Macaulay and his dominance of English history is examined under T-R's microscope. Finally, an essay on the Swiss historian Jacob Burckhardt concludes the collection. Other essays discuss Pietro Giannone, Dimitrie Cantemir, and Conyers Middleton.
A typically trenchant T-R essay on "The Historical Philosophy of the Enlightenment," commences the volume, and it is T-R at his best. Great in learning; incisive in analysis; uniting in one thesis many different strings of topics; and just a pleasure to read. This essay gives T-R a chance to discuss another of his favorite topics, Montesquieu and his enormous impact on both the writing of history and the enlightenment. An interesting theme developed in this essay is how the French Revolution impacted on the writing of history. One can only stand in amazement as to how much one learns from reading these essays, which are packed with information and challenging ideas, and yet are just fun to read as well. If only more intellectual history were this sparkling!
Robertson's "Editor's Introduction," puts the various essays to follow into a helpful context, especially for those who are not familiar with T-R and his interests. Robertson has also taken much care with the essays' notes, supplementing some and adding references where none was published with the essay. In his appendix, "A Guide to Later Scholarship," he discusses some more recent work that pertains to T-R's topics. This update is very helpful because the essays were published mainly in the 1960's, 1980's, with the most recent being published in 1997.
The essays themselves, all tied somehow to the enlightenment and the writing of history, reflect some of T-R's most central interests. For example, there are three perceptive essays on Edward Gibbon, long a T-R favorite. I came to a much better understanding of why Gibbon is so important, both to the discipline of history, as well as to our substantive knowledge. The Scottish Enlightenment, an area in which T-R got even the Scots to take an interest, pops up in several of the essays, including a very interesting one on David Hume. Surprising to me, T-R devotes one essay to Sir Walter Scott and his contributions to the "romantic movement and the study of history." Thomas Carlyle was introduced to me in a study of his historical philosophy; I knew the name but never had read any of his work. Similarly, Lord Macaulay and his dominance of English history is examined under T-R's microscope. Finally, an essay on the Swiss historian Jacob Burckhardt concludes the collection. Other essays discuss Pietro Giannone, Dimitrie Cantemir, and Conyers Middleton.
A typically trenchant T-R essay on "The Historical Philosophy of the Enlightenment," commences the volume, and it is T-R at his best. Great in learning; incisive in analysis; uniting in one thesis many different strings of topics; and just a pleasure to read. This essay gives T-R a chance to discuss another of his favorite topics, Montesquieu and his enormous impact on both the writing of history and the enlightenment. An interesting theme developed in this essay is how the French Revolution impacted on the writing of history. One can only stand in amazement as to how much one learns from reading these essays, which are packed with information and challenging ideas, and yet are just fun to read as well. If only more intellectual history were this sparkling!
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