The Beggar and the Professor: A Sixteenth-Century Family Saga
(Book #1 in the Le siècle des Platter, 1499-1628 Series)
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Book Overview
From a wealth of vivid autobiographical writings, Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie reconstructs the extraordinary life of Thomas Platter and the lives of his sons. With masterful erudition, Le Roy Ladurie deepens and expands the historical contexts of these accounts and, in the process, brings to life the customs, perceptions, and character of an age poised at the threshold of modernity. "Le Roy Ladurie paints a remarkably contemporary picture of life in the sixteenth century. . . . It's a good story, told with a deft narrative touch."--Michael S. Kimmel, The Nation "Le Roy Ladurie is a master of the representative detail and uses the Platters' lives as a means to see a whole century 'through a glass, darkly'."--The Independent "Le Roy Ladurie has not only thoroughly sketched out the Platters' particular brand of gusto, he has also made it seem a defining characteristic of the sixteenth century."--The New Republic "All [of] the drama and pathos of a Disney film."--Emily Eakin, Lingua Franca
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0226473236
ISBN13:9780226473239
Release Date:April 1997
Publisher:University of Chicago Press
Length:416 Pages
Weight:1.75 lbs.
Dimensions:1.2" x 6.2" x 9.4"
Customer Reviews
1 rating
A fascinating narrative of Europe during the Reformation.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
Readers should understand that this is not a historical novel, but a detailed narrative about Europe during a period of great religious, political, social and cultural upheaval. Tracing the lives of the Platter men, Thomas and his two sons, Felix and Thomas, Jr., the author reveals a society often overlooked by modern readers. While most historians deal with the political side only, LaDurie focuses on the religious turbulence that ultimately resulted in a new Europe. The fact that Thomas Platter, Sr., an illiterate peasant, was able to rise to a position of respected teacher and publisher, one who was a contemporary of Calvin, and published his Institutes, tells us much about the opportunities for social advancement during the period. Felix's experiences in southern France and his relationships with Spanish Jews sheds a great deal of light on another portion of "hidden history." The influence of the "New World" is also beginning to be felt across! the continent at this time. For any student of social geography or religious history, this book is an absolute treasure chest.
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