Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Dark Brilliance:
Darkest before the dawn.
Quick synopsis:
A look at the Age of Reason through various artists.
Fact for Non-History People:
By the end of the Thirty Years War, the population of Europe decreased by 10%.
Fact for History Nerds:
Proportionally, more people in Europe died during the Thirty Years War than World War I. Key word being “proportionally” of course.
My Take on Dark Brilliance:
Something strange happened while reading Dark Brilliance by Paul Strathern. He completely whiffs on his thesis statement, but I really didn’t mind. Allow me to explain.
Strathern is writing about the Age of Reason/Enlightenment. He seems to be out to tell the reader about how this era where massive accomplishments in art, government, economics, literature, etc. also came with big upheaval and conflict.
In reality, the book reads like chapter long vignettes on specific people or advances. Yes, Strathern does talk about the dark side, but it feels like he is just giving background about the world where these advances are happening. Honestly, I missed it half the time. Generally, not hitting your thesis is the death knell for a book. However, these are really fun and interesting vignettes! They are not all created equal, though. Strathern’s love for art comes through the strongest. You can feel his enthusiasm when discussing Rembrandt or Caravaggio. The other chapters on different subjects aren’t bad by any stretch, but you can tell the difference.
In the end, if you want a fun book with a look at various people from the Enlightenment without getting too bogged down in details, then this is for you. Enjoy!
(This book was provided as a review copy by Pegasus Books.)
Verdict:
A very informative read. Buy it here!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.