Synopses & Reviews
James Turner's biography offers the first modern account of Norton's life and its significance, following him from his perilous travels across India as a young merchant to his role as his country's preeminent cultural critic. Turner shows how Norton developed the key ideas that still underlie the humanities -- historicism and culture -- and how his influence endures in America's colleges and universities because of institutions he developed and models he devised.
Synopsis
Born into the Boston intellectual elite, Norton (1827-1908) edited the North American Review, co-founded the Nation, translated Dante into standard editions, initiated art history in colleges, organized classic archaeology in the US, and formulated the course now known as Western Civilization. Turner (history, U. of Notre Dame) traces his life from perilous travels across India as a young merchant to his role as a preeminent cultural critic.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 415-494) and index.