Product Description

After the long period of cultural decline known as the Dark Ages, Europe experienced a rebirth of scholarship, art, literature, philosophy, and science and began to develop a vision of Western society that remains at the heart of Western civilization today.

By placing the image of the Virgin Mary at the center of their churches and their lives, medieval people exalted womanhood to a level unknown in any previous society. For the first time, men began to treat women with dignity and women took up professions that had always been closed to them.

The communion bread, believed to be the body of Jesus, encouraged the formulation of new questions in philosophy: Could reality be so fluid that one substance could be transformed into another? Could ordinary bread become a holy reality? Could mud become gold, as the alchemists believed? These new questions pushed the minds of medieval thinkers toward what would become modern science.

Artists began to ask themselves similar questions. How can we depict human anatomy so that it looks real to the viewer? How can we depict motion in a composition that never moves? How can two dimensions appear to be three? Medieval artists (and writers, too) invented the Western tradition of realism.

On visits to the great cities of Europe—monumental Rome; the intellectually explosive Paris of Peter Abelard and Thomas Aquinas; the hotbed of scientific study that was Oxford; and the incomparable Florence of Dante and Giotto—Cahill brilliantly captures the spirit of experimentation, the colorful pageantry, and the passionate pursuit of knowledge that built the foundations for the modern world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #800104 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-24
• Released on: 2006-10-24
• Formats: Abridged, Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 6.15" h x .99" w x 5.57" l, .38 pounds
• Binding: Audio CD

From Publishers Weekly
Cahill nimbly presents the highlights—and lowlights—of Europe during the Middle Ages in this well-executed romp through history. A skilled narrator of his own work, Cahill brings enthusiasm and passion to the story (especially when describing the peccadilloes of Eleanor of Aquitaine and the steamy affair of Abelard and Héloïse). He is particularly impassioned, even shrill, when comparing the folly of the avaricious Second Crusade with what he sees as the disastrous contemporary war in Iraq, asserting that both wars were invented by leaders with little understanding and even less wisdom. Cahill also emerges as a credible singer, producing competent and tuneful a cappella renditions of the hymns of both Hildegard of Bingen and Thomas Aquinas. The abridgment is seamless in the first few chapters, but then a bit more pronounced as the book draws to a close; the chapter on Giotto feels rushed. Aside from a few awkward mispronunciations, this audio book will delight listeners interested in the great stories of medieval times.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
This abridged history takes the listener from the Dark Ages to the beginnings of the Renaissance. Cahill presents history in a fascinating and engaging manner. He reads his text carefully, as though lecturing to a class, so the listener grasps the concepts without getting caught in the minute details. At first his reading seems stiff, but soon Cahill relaxes into his topic. Cahill's topics include the medieval thinkers Peter Abelard and Thomas Aquinas; artists such as Giotto and Michelangelo; and writers, in particular, Dante. Feminism is covered as part of the discussions of the Cult of the Virgin Mary, courtly love, and women mystics, such as Hildegard of Bingen. This history lesson encourages listeners to pursue the unabridged book, as well as Cahill's earlier works. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Review
"Like a favorite college professor who could make any subject fascinating and understandable, Thomas Cahill takes us on an intoxicating journey through medieval Europe in Mysteries of the Middle Ages. Throughout it all, you are keenly aware that the author wants you to fall in love with this pivotal period in Western civilization every bit as much as he did....Cahill spans centuries of history beautifully and seamlessly, giving readers a lovingly painted picture of the high Middle Ages and how its sensibilities evolved to shape ours today."
--The Los Angeles Times

"A prodigiously gifted populizar of Western philosophical and religious thought spotlights exemplary Christians in the High Middle Ages...Cahill serves as an irresistible guide: never dull, sometimes provocative, often luminous."
—Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea

“Fascinating…Commendable…Cahill has an impressive knowledge of the Greek world.…His admirable skill at summing up movements of enormous complexity surfaces throughout the book.”
—Seattle Times

“Astonishing…If anybody can get us reading about Homer, Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Thucydides, Xenophon and more, Cahill will.”
—Chicago Tribune


Praise for Desire of the Everlasting Hills

“Each of [Cahill’s] books offers moments of genuine insight into the workings of culture, literature, and the human heart.”
—Commonweal

“With grace, skill, and erudition, he summarizes obtuse semantic and historical arguments, highlights the findings most relevant to lay readers, and draws disparate material together in his portraits of Jesus, his mother, Mary, and the apostle Paul.”
—Washington Post Book World


Praise for The Gifts of the Jews

“Captivating…Persuasive as well as entertaining…Mr. Cahill’s book is a gift.”
—New York Times

“Cahill’s clearly voiced, jubilant song of praise to the gifts of the Jews is itself a gift—a splendid story, well told.”
—Boston Globe

Praise for How the Irish Saved Civilization

“Charming and poetic…an entirely engaging, delectable voyage into the distant past, a small treasure.”
—New York Times

“Cahill’s lively prose breathes life into a 1,600-year-old history.”
—Boston Globe


From the Hardcover edition.