Barbarism and religion

Cambridge University Press

1999

XV, [1], 339, [1] p.

9780521633451

Contents: Introduction; Part I. England and Switzerland, 1737–1763: 1. Putney, Oxford and the question of English Enlightenment; 2. Lausanne and the Arminian Enlightenment; 3. The re-education of young Gibbon: method, unbelief and the turn towards history; 4. The Hampshire militia and the problems of modernity; 5. Study in the camp: erudition and the search for a narrative; Part II. The Encounter with Paris and the Defence of Erudition, 1761–1763: 6. The politics of scholarship in French and English Enlightenment; 7. Erudition and Enlightenment in the Académie des Inscriptions; 8. D'Alembert's Discours Preliminaire: the philosophe perception of history; 9. The Essai sur l'Etude de la Litterature: imagination, irony and history; 10. Paris and the gens de lettres: experience and recollection; Part III. Lausanne and Rome: The Journey Towards a Subject, 1763–1765: 11. The return to Lausanne and the pursuit of erudition; 12. The journey to Rome and the transformation of intentions; Epilogue: Gibbon and the rhythm that was different; Bibliographies; Index.

This is the introductory volume to Pocock's masterful study of Gibbon and the Enlightenment. The volume is readable and intensely well-written--clarifying abstract and arcane philosophical and historical minutiae with finesse and grace. The historian's writing style is easily gotten used to and anyone who's read Gibbon will certainly appreciate the aesthetics of Pocock's narrative. Readers used to Hemingway's style might find some getting used to the longer paragraphs but even the Grand Old Man appreciated master storytellers. And Pocock is surely that and more. This is easily the greatest work by one of the greatest English-speaking historians in history. Pocock's master-plan is ambitious and you might need to reread some chapters to get the full impact and import of what he's saying. He marshals some powerful analytical tools to arrange his material but the technical apparatus rarely shows, unless you go looking for it. Should yo do so, you'll find not only a master narrativist but also a formidable philosopher working behind the scenes.

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