Medieval Civilization 400-1500

I happened to see this text in the publishers store new in hard cover. It is an English translation (Barnes & Noble, 2000) from the French (La civilization de l'Occident medieval by B. Arthaud, Paris, 1964; English translation by Basil Blackwell, Ltd., 1988)with an updated bibliography. It is a good survey of the period and allows for insight into modern history of the West. I obtained it to have on hand for not only myself, but the grandchildren who may be exposed to more "revisionist history." The price was great in store at $12.98 when it was originally published at nearly three times the price.

Medieval Civilization is not an introductory history of the Middle Ages. The author assumes prior knowledge of many details. For those of us who are not up-to-speed, frequent use of an online encyclopedia is a must. Ever hear of the "Chanson de Geste"? How about the "Carolingian dynasty"? Le Goff doesn't tell you what these actually are -- but Wikipedia does. If you already have a grounding in medieval history, or if you are willing to go the extra mile, Le Goff's work is engaging and quite readable. The author does not proceed chronologically, but rather sweeps up and down the time period, highlighting important trends and big-picture concepts. It is in this erudite generalization that the real strength of the work emerges. For example, Le Goff observes that in medieval epistemology, to understand something was to name it. The symbol itself was the essence of an object or the mechanics of a process. Thus, grammar and language were the most studied of all subjects, the most fundamental tools for knowing creation. By making chronology subservient to theme, Le Goff is able to provide an illuminating snapshot of the Middle Ages as a whole. The downside of doing this is that the reader is left with more of a gestalt comprehension rather than a precisely located sense of time and place. That the downside is only minor is a testament to the interest and appeal of Le Goff's ideas.

First, I must admit that I am not an expert, at all, on the history of this period in Europe. I did find the information in this book to be very interesting and insightful. I feel that I learned a lot about continental European history during the dark ages and leading into the renaissance. The author obviously knows his subject well, and has done volumes of research. My main problem with this book that others reviewers have also identified is the format. It is choppy and jumps from one topic to the next without much, if any, transition. Therefore, the overall story that the author is trying to tell is somewhat difficult to follow. My other issue with the book is that I think the author has an anti-Church bias that comes through in his writing. I would be the first to agree that the Church made some greviuos errors during this period, but I felt like the author criticizes from a modern perspective instead of trying to figure out what was going on that may have caused the Church, and more specifically its leader, to act in certain ways. Overall, this book is worth the read in order to gain greater perspective on what life was like during the Middle Ages. If nothing else, it helps readers like myself to appreciate the freedoms and comforts that we enjoy nowadays that would have been unheard of during this time period.

If you've ever toiled through a Ferdinand Braudel tome you have an idea of what reading Le Goff is like - so badly structured that you think every page is a non-sequiter - but each of those pages is filled with incredible insight and gems of information. If it wasn't for what I call 'the Curse of European Academic Writing' (don't blame the translator - they're all this bad in their native languages) I'd have given this book five stars. But despite the difficult writing style, if you are interested in the medieval mind and the civilization that grew from it, this book is more than worth your time and effort.Le Goff takes the reader across that incredable gulf that separates the worldviews of our time and medieval europe. One of the great barriers to understanding medieval europe is that their worldview, or core memes, were so foreign from our's that the actions of kings and peasants appear irrational. Le Goff explains the dark and pessimistic, though still extremely dynamic, thought of the age with precision and empathy.Le Goff works through the transition from the classical world of Rome and Germanic/Celtic tribalism. He makes heavy use of symbolism of the age to illuminate the transition of thinking, conceptual models and institutions. The biggest drawback of this book is that the reader has to have a base of knowledge of the region and the period. Le Goff provides very little background but jumps right into the heart of times. If you want to really learn about the medieval age, not just knights and kings, you should definantly read this book -- but this aint no beach reading.

This is perhaps the most important and influential book on the Middle Ages on the market right now. Written clearly in the good traditions of the Annales school, it is more of a sociological study into the society of the Middle ages. So, if you want the usual narrative about what happened when, then perhaps this is not the book for you. However, as an insight into the culture, social organization and general life throughout the Middle Ages, this is by far the best book one could find. I thought it was very well complemented by "Mediaeval Callings", a book edited by Jacques Le Goff.