The Western Humanities Volume 1

Great if you like that sort of thing to read. I have to read it for my req'd college class, so I'm not in love with it, but it's good if you have to read it.

This is the fifth edition of Volume II of "The Western Humanities" by Roy Matthews and F. DeWitt Platt, covering the cultural achievements of Western civilization in terms of art, music, literature, philosophy, theater, film, and the other arts, from the Renaissance to the Present. The two chapters on the Renaissance are in both volumes of "The Western Humanities," which allows for institutional differences on where various schools decide to break the study of Western humanities into two courses. However, what attracted me to "The Western Civilization" was that in addition to the two textbooks, there were not only a pair of additional books with readings from literature and philosophy, but also a CD with music. For example, when studying the Age of Reason (1700-1789) students will learn about the Enlightenment, the great powers, and cultural trends in Chapter 16 of this textbook. In the companion collection of readings they will read Pope's "Essay on Man," along with excerpts from Voltaire's "Candide," Rousseau's Confessions," Kant's "Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment," and Wollstonescrft's "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman." Then, on the companion CD, they would get to listen to Mozart's "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" and Haydn's "Surprise" Symphony No. 94. As the fifth edition of "The Western Humanities, Volume II: The Renaissance to the Present," emphasizing the linkages between cultural expression and historical conditions. Previous editions had expanded coverage of the contributions of women and other artists outside the traditional canon and added a multicultural dimension that looked at what was happening outside the Western tradition. This fifth edition expands coverage of Islamic civilization, obviously in response to current events. "The Western Humanities" is organized chronologically into twenty-one chapters, the last 11 of which are in this second volume. The first two chapters cover the Early Renaissance and the High Renaissance followed by one on the Northern Renaissance. Following a pair of chapters on the Baroque, Matthews and Platt break the last three centuries of the previous millennium into the Age of Reason (a.k.a., the Enlightenment), the age of revolution (primarily the industrial one), the triumph of the bourgeoisie, the age of early modernism, the age of the masses, and the age of anxiety and beyond. Each chapter begins by establishing the material conditions of the era (historical, political, economic, and social) and then presenting the crucial points that defined the culture during that period (major themes, issues, and problems of the period). The second half of each chapter focuses on the cultural expression of the period, including not only ideas in philosophy, history, religion, and science, but also the cultural artifacts of art, music, drama, literature, and (eventually) film. This shows the attempt to balance the historical background with the cultural and artistic achievements, and each cha

I have been laying the groundwork for putting together a two-semester Humanities course, which has meant checking out potential textbooks. What attracted me to "The Western Humanities" by Roy T. Matthews and F. DeWitt Platt was that in addition to the two textbooks, there were not only a pair of additional books with readings from literature and philosophy, but also a pair of CDs with music. So, for example, when students are studying the High Middle Ages, students learn all about feudalism, medieval Christianity and the church, and the equilibrium between the spiritual and the secular in the text of the chapter, which includes looks at the art and architecture of the period. The corresponding readings for this chapter would include "The Song of Roland," Chretien de Troyes' "Lancelot," Marie de France's "Lais" (Lays), Thomas Aquinas' "Summa Theologica," and Dante's "The Divine Comedy." Then on the CD there is the hymn "O Pastor Animarum" by Hildegard of Bingen (obviously, music selections are rarer when you are dealing with the Renaissance and earlier periods).This is the fifth edition of "The Western Humanities, Volume I: Beginnings Through the Renaissance," which places the achievements of Western culture within their historical contexts, emphasizing the linkages between cultural expression and historical conditions. Previous editions had expanded coverage of the contributions of women and other artists outside the traditional canon and added a multicultural dimension that looked at what was happening outside the Western tradition. This fifth edition expands coverage of Islamic civilization, obviously in response to current events. "The Western Humanities" is organized chronologically into twenty-one chapters, the first 12 of which are in this first volume, with the two Renaissance chapters reprinted in the second volume to adjust for where it comes in the curriculum of various institutions. The first six chapters in the first volume includes the civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome and constitute the initial "ancient" period of Western civilization (3000 B.C. to A.D. 500). The next two chapters constitute a transitional period, with the end of the Roman Empire and the rise of Islam. The second period (500 to 1500) looks at when the West became centered in Europe and was largely dominated by the Christian church. The third period (1400 to present) is the story of the birth of the modern world. Each chapter begins by establishing the material conditions of the era (historical, political, economic, and social) and then presenting the crucial points that defined the culture during that period (major themes, issues, and problems of the period). The second half of each chapter focuses on the cultural expression of the period, including not only ideas in philosophy, history, religion, and science, but also the cultural artifacts of art, music, drama, literature, and (eventually) film. This shows the attempt to balan