 How the Irish Saved Civilization : The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe Books In Print, Audio Books. |
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How the Irish Saved Civilization : The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe
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How the Irish Saved Civilization : The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe description
In this delightful and illuminating look into a crucial but little-known "hinge" of history, Thomas Cahill takes us to the "island of saints and scholars," the Ireland of St. Patrick and the Book of Kells. Here, far from the barbarian despoliation of the continent, monks and scribes laboriously, lovingly, even playfully preserved the West's written treasury. When stability returned in Europe, these Irish scholars were instrumental in spreading learning, becoming not only the conservators of civilization, but also the shapers of the medieval mind, putting their unique stamp on Western culture. |
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How the Irish Saved Civilization : The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥ |
Very disappointing
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I was intrigued when I first heard of this book and immediately added it to my wishlist - I have not read very much about Irish history and looked forward to the chance to read about grand things the Irish did to "save" civilization. I was quite surprised, then, to find that this book is just shy of 250 pages. Shouldn't there be more?
Some of the tidbits throughout the book are interesting, but I quickly realized that this book isn't an objective delivery of history but a most subjective focus on the Christianizing of Ireland. Basically, the Irish, according to Cahill, saved civilization by meticulously and beautifully copying ancient texts and keeping that literature alive. Once this bit of information is delivered, Cahill keeps his focus on religion, namely Christianity and even more succinctly, Catholicism. In fact, the book began to feel like How Catholicism Saved the Irish. That's not meant as an insult toward any particular religion; I just think that a book with this title should be focused more on what the Irish did to contribute to the world community rather than how the barbarians were delivered from their little mud huts into the glorious world of organized monotheism...and then copied a lot of pretty books.
Perhaps I missed the point, but I just finished reading this book, and I am no more enlightened regarding the rich history of the Irish than I was before I read the book. |
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