Synopses & Reviews
The
Medieval World View, Third Edition, presents the presuppositions of medieval society in a systematic fashion by integrating brief, self-contained selections from primary texts and carefully captioned photographs into a narrative of the medieval world and its foundations.
The text is divided into five parts. Treating both the classical and biblical antecedents of the Middle Ages and ending in Late Antiquity, Part One includes a thorough discussion of the monumental figure of St. Augustine. Part Two deals with the Mediterranean World, including Byzantium and Islam, and ending with the disintegration of the Roman Empire in the West. Part Three deals with the early Middle Ages, extending the narrative from the end of the Western Empire through the renaissance associated with the reign of Charlemagne. Part Four examines the High Middle Ages, following developments in the Church, in politics, in philosophy and theology, and in the arts from the twelfth century until the fourteenth. Part Five, an epilogue, traces the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, focusing primarily on the fourteenth century but also looking forward to the fifteenth century and beyond.
The third edition features two entirely new chapters, Chapter 5 on Byzantium and Chapter 6 on Islam. Handling sophisticated issues with great clarity and ease, The Medieval World View is ideal for courses in Medieval history, literature, or art history.
Review
"Cook and Herzman is my favorite textbook for use in the classroom. . . . I can think of no better text to assign to my students for an overview of Christian thought from Paul up through the mendicant movement. I use the book in almost every course I teach."--Valerie Ramseyer, Wellesley College
"The Medieval World View's great strength is its streamlined focus on the intellectual legacies of the Middle Ages."--Curtis Gruenler, Hope College
About the Author
William R. Cook is Distinguished Teaching Professor of History at the State University of New York at Geneseo.
Ronald B. Herzman is Distinguished Teaching Professor of English at the State University of New York at Geneseo.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction
Time Line
PART 1: FOUNDATIONS OF THE MIDDLE AGES
1. The Bible
2. The Classical Heritage
3. Early Christianity
4. Saint Augustine
PART 2: THE MEDITERRANEAN WORLD
5. Byzantium
6. Islam
7. The West After the Collapse of Roman Authority
PART 3: THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES
8. Western Monasticism
9. The First Medieval Synthesis: The Carolingian World and Its Dissolution
PART 4: THE HIGH MIDDLE AGES
10. Church, State, and Society
11. The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century
12. Francis of Assisi and the Mendicants
PART 5: EPILOGUE
13. From Medieval to Renaissance
Notes
Bibliography
Index