Edward Gibbon and the Pessimism of Empire.

Gibbon and the Pessimism of Empire.

An excellent essay WW, very well written.

I look forward to reading part II. That is if you decide to post it.

An excellent essay WW, very well written.

 

I look forward to reading part II. That is if you decide to post it.

Couldn't agree more.

The publication of the Rise and Fall was a pivotal historical event in itself; the European Enlightenment that eventually shaped all our world couldn't have been understood without it, as Gibbon's influence can be detected in one way or another in virtually any social thinker after him. Gibbon is still alive, well and walking among us; many of his own constructs, from the "five good emperors" to the "Byzantine empire", have evolved into solid cultural archetypes still in regular use, even if under uncritical acceptance most often than not. The colossal work of Gibbon is one of those sources that many of us try to quote without actually reviewing it at length. Then, any study that deepens into Gibbon's method, conclusions, message and influence, like this essay, must be welcomed.

Gibbon and the Pessimism of Empire.

 

 

One need only look at the lingering presence of the

An excellent essay WW, very well written.

 

I look forward to reading part II. That is if you decide to post it.

Thank you, G.

I have finished it all now, and even handed it in! I shall post Chapter Two when I can bare to look at my dissertation again.

An excellent essay WW, very well written.

 

I look forward to reading part II. That is if you decide to post it.

 

Thank you, G.

 

I have finished it all now, and even handed it in! I shall post Chapter Two when I can bare to look at my dissertation again.

OK, thanks and good luck mate.

Salve, Wotwotius. I thought I'd move your thesis to the Academic lounge, where it won't get so lost in the shuffle.

Please do post chapter 2.

WW-- How did the critical reception of Volume 1 differ from later volumes? Could the change in narrative be explained by its critical reception instead of current events?

...i would like to chip in here that Wowwotius was so kind to give me the whole dissertation and i will publish it soon on Unrv.com, thanks Wowwotius...

cheers

viggen

...ok, because this is a rather big piece of text, i put it into several part, i finished part one

Intrusive Ideology - How pre-Modern ideologies have coloured our perceptions on Roman History

Introduction

Chapter I - Gibbon and the Pessimism of Empire

WW-- How did the critical reception of Volume 1 differ from later volumes? Could the change in narrative be explained by its critical reception instead of current events?

I would like to point out throughout the entirety of his magnum opus, Gibbon consistently retains his tone of irony, wit and (almost sardonic) hindsight. It is not so much his style which alters when he makes the transition from volume I to volumes II & III; it is his emphasis on events that changes.

Volume I of the Decline and Fall was generally well received: it was praised by both his 'peers of the Enlightenment' (Hume and Smith) and politician alike, which in turn gave him borderline celebrity status. The only area of his work in which Gibbon was not lauded was his treatment of early Christianity - a quagmire of which I have intentionally stayed clear. Much of this was the product of the Anglican community in Britain and was incredibly scathing, if not petty, in nature - one critic, for instance, used a review of Gibbon's first volume as a platform on which to poke fun at his appearance... However, instead of letting this criticism mar his writing, Gibbon rose up to the challenge and quashed all critical reception in his 'Philippic' Vindication, something I recommend you to read for its style alone. From thereon, its seems, Gibbon's treatment of Christianity remained to be cast in the same mould.

Whether or not Gibbon was influenced more by current events or critical reception is all conjecture - indeed we cannot, not matter how much we read between the lines, know exactly what went through the mind of Edward Gibbon. The fact remains, however, that it was only really his analysis of the origins of Christianity that initially received a negative reception, and this, as one can detect in reading later volume of the Decline and Fall, did not influence his later treatment of the subject.

It must also be noted that Gibbon's merits as a historian were not really challenged challenged until the nineteenth century, and even this was not so much rooted in his stylistic technique, but more in adherence to Enlightenment values, such as progress.

It is also interesting to note that the concept of 'current affairs' influencing Gibbon is not just a modern phenomenon. It is said that on James Fox's copy of the Decline and Fall, the following poem was written:

Thus, among other things, he highlights that Gibbon's duel role as a historian and M.P. under the North Administration was inseparable from his prose.

...so, i added now chapter II

Intrusive Ideology - How pre-Modern ideologies have coloured our perceptions on Roman History

Introduction

Chapter I - Gibbon and the Pessimism of Empire

Chapter II - Mommsen, Pan-German Unity and the R

...so, i added now chapter III

Intrusive Ideology - How pre-Modern ideologies have coloured our perceptions on Roman History

Introduction

Chapter I - Gibbon and the Pessimism of Empire

Chapter II - Mommsen, Pan-German Unity and the R

...so, i added now the fourth chapter the Conclusion (all thats missing are bibliography, which i will add shortly)

Intrusive Ideology - How pre-Modern ideologies have coloured our perceptions on Roman History

Introduction

Chapter I - Gibbon and the Pessimism of Empire

Chapter II - Mommsen, Pan-German Unity and the R

...so, i added now the fourth chapter the Conclusion (all thats missing are bibliography, which i will add shortly)

 

Intrusive Ideology - How pre-Modern ideologies have coloured our perceptions on Roman History

 

Introduction

 

Chapter I - Gibbon and the Pessimism of Empire

 

Chapter II - Mommsen, Pan-German Unity and the R