The Ends of Life: Roads to Fulfilment in Early Modern England - Couverture rigide

Thomas, Keith

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0199247234 ISBN 13 : 9780199247233

Editeur : OUP Oxford, 2009

Synopsis

Book by Thomas Keith

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur :

How should we live? That question was no less urgent for English men and women who lived between the early sixteenth and late eighteenth centuries than for this book's readers. Keith Thomas's masterly exploration of the ways in which people sought to lead fulfilling lives in those centuries between the beginning of the Reformation and the heyday of the Enlightenment illuminates the central values of the period, while casting incidental light on some of the perennial problems of human existence. Consideration of the origins of the modern ideal of human fulfilment and of obstacles to its realization in the early modern period frames an investigation that ranges from work, wealth, and possessions to the pleasures of friendship, family, and sociability. The cult of military prowess, the pursuit of honour and reputation, the nature of religious belief and scepticism, and the desire to be posthumously remembered are all drawn into the discussion, and the views and practices of ordinary people are measured against the opinions of the leading philosophers and theologians of the time. The Ends of Life offers a fresh approach to the history of early modern England, by one of the foremost historians of our time. It also provides modern readers with much food for thought on the problem of how we should live and what goals in life we should pursue.

Revue de presse :

It is full of surprises, packed with information that no one else could have found and so witty and absorbing. (Claire Tomalin, The Guardian)

No one else could have broached such an ambitious subject. (Jonathan Sumption, Spectator)

A great historian...remarkable book. (Jonathan Sumption, Spectator)

A compellingly readable book, richly researched, fascinatingly detailed, delightfully written. (Eamon Duffy, London Review of Books)

Thomas has formidable organisational ability, and an unerring eye for detail. Almost every page offers something to intrigue, amuse, provoke. (Eamon Duffy, London Review of Books)

'The Ends of Life' is a compellingly readable book, richly researched, fascinatingly detailed, delightfully written. (Eamon Duffy, London Review of Books)

This is...a masterly series of impressions designed to provoke the reader to further thought and study. (Jonathan Barry, History Today)

It takes phenomenal learning and scholarly chutzpah to pull off a book like this. (Jonathan Wright The Independent)

Pure delight. (John Morrill, BBC History Magazine)

Let's thanks Keith Thomas for writing such a brave and sensitive book. (Jonathan Wright, The Independent)

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: OUP Oxford
• Date d'édition: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0199247234
• ISBN 13: 9780199247233
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 428