Synopses & Reviews
Interdisciplinary in approach and topical in focus, the sixth edition of The Humanistic Tradition continues to bring to life humankind's creative legacy. With more than 800 illustrations and some 150 literary sources in accessible translations, this widely acclaimed humanities survey takes a global perspective that is at once selective and engaging, and helps students better understand the relationship between world cultures. Available in multiple formats, The Humanistic Tradition examines the political, economic, and social contexts out of which history's most memorable achievements emerged.
Synopsis
The Humanistic Tradition features a flexible, topical approach that helps students understand humankind's creative legacy as a continuum rather than as a series of isolated events. This widely acclaimed interdisciplinary survey offers a global perspective, countless illustrations, and more than 150 literary sources. Available in multiple formats, The Humanistic Tradition explores the political, economic, and social contexts of human culture, providing a global and multicultural perspective which helps students better understand the relationship between the West and other world cultures.
About the Author
Gloria Konig Fiero was born and raised in New York City. She earned her Masters degree in Art History at the University of California, Berkeley, and her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Humanities at the Florida State University. She has taught Humanities, World History, and Art History for more than twenty-five years. She has written and lectured extensively on medieval and renaissance topics and on the arts of both East and West as they reflect the human condition. She currently divides her time between New Orleans, Louisiana, and New York City.
Table of Contents
Book 1: The First Civilizations and the Classical Legacy Introduction: Prehistory and the Birth of Civilization
Prehistory
The Birth of Civilization
1 Mesopotamia: Gods, Rulers, and the Social Order
Looking Ahead
The Land between the Two Rivers
The Gods of Mesopotamia
The Rulers of Mesopotamia
The Social Order
The Arts in Mesopotamia
The Iron Age
The Hebrews
Empires of the Iron Age
Looking Back
2 Africa: Gods, Rulers, and the Social Order
Looking Ahead
Africa: Ancient Egypt
The Gods of Ancient Egypt
The Rulers of Ancient Egypt
The Social Order
The Arts in Ancient Egypt
Africa: The Sudan
Looking Back
3 India, China, and the Americas
Looking Ahead
Ancient India
Ancient China
The Americas
Looking Back
4 Greece: Humanism and the Speculative Leap
Looking Ahead
Bronze Age Civilizations of the Aegean
The Heroic Age
The Greek City-State and the Persian Wars
Athens and the Greek Golden Age
The Individual and the Community
Greek Philosophy: The Speculative Leap
Humanist Philosophy
Looking Back
5 The Classical Style
Looking Ahead
The Classical Style
The Evolution of the Classical Style
The Classical Style in Poetry
The Classical Style in Music and Dance
The Diffusion of the Classical Style: The Hellenistic Age
Looking Back
6 Rome: The Rise to Empire
Looking Ahead
The Roman Rise to Empire
The Roman Contribution to Literature
The Arts of the Roman Empire
The Fall of Rome
Looking Back
7 China: The Rise to Empire
Looking Ahead
Confucius and the Classics
The Chinese Rise to Empire
The Literary Contributions of Imperial China
The Visual Arts and Music
Looking Back
Book Two: Medieval Europe and the World Beyond 8 A Flowering of Faith: Christianity and Buddhism Looking Ahead
The Background to Christianity
The Rise of Christianity
The Teachings of Paul
The Spread of Christianity
The Rise of Buddhism
The Spread of Buddhism
Looking Back
9 The Language of Faith: Symbolism and the Arts Looking Ahead
The Christian Identity
The Buddhist Identity
Looking Back
10 The Islamic World: Religion and Culture Looking Ahead
The Religion of Islam
The Spread of Islam
Islamic Culture
Looking Back
11 Patterns of Medieval Life Looking Ahead
The Germanic Tribes
Charlemagne and the Carolingian Renaissance
Early Medieval Culture
High Medieval Culture
Looking Back
12 Christianity and the Medieval Mind Looking Ahead
The Christian Way of Life and Death
The Medieval Church
Looking Back
13 The Medieval Synthesis in the Arts Looking Ahead
The Romanesque Church
The Gothic Cathedral
Medieval Painting
Medieval Music
Looking Back
14 The World Beyond the West: India, China, and Japan Looking Ahead
India
China
Japan
Looking Back
Book 3: The European Renaissance, The Reformation, and Global Encounter 15 Adversity and Challenge: The Fourteenth-Century Transition
Looking Ahead
Europe in Transition
Literature in Transition
Art and Music in Transition
Looking Back
16 Classical Humanism in the Age of the Renaissance
Looking Ahead
Italy: Birthplace of the Renaissance
Classical Humanism
Renaissance Women
Machiavelli
Looking Back
17 Renaissance Artists: Disciples of Nature, Masters of Invention
Looking Ahead
Renaissance Art and Patronage
The Early Renaissance
The High Renaissance
The Music of the Renaissance
Looking Back
18 Cross-Cultural Encounters: Asia, Africa, and the Americas
Looking Ahead
Global Travel and Trade
The African Cultural Heritage
The Arts of Africa
Cross-Cultural Encounter
The Americas
Early Empires in the Americas
Cross-Cultural Encounter
Looking Back
19 Protest and Reform: The Waning of the Old Order
Looking Ahead
The Temper of Reform
The Protestant Reformation
Northern Renaissance Art
Sixteenth-Century Literature
Shakespeare
Looking Back