The Florentines

From Dante to Galileo: The Transformation of Western Civilization

By: Paul Strathern

Narrated by: Roger Clark

A sweeping and magisterial 400-year history of both the city and the people who gave birth to the Renaissance.

Between the birth of Dante in 1265 and the death of Galileo in 1642, something happened that transformed the entire culture of Western civilization. Painting, sculpture, and architecture would all visibly change in such a striking fashion that there could be no going back on what had taken place. Likewise, the thought and self-conception of humanity would take on a completely new aspect. Sciences would be born - or emerge in an entirely new guise.

The ideas that broke this mold began, and continued to flourish, in the city of Florence in Northern Central Italy. These ideas, which placed an increasing emphasis on the development of our common humanity - rather than otherworldly spirituality - coalesced in what came to be known as humanism. This philosophy and its new ideas would eventually spread across Italy, yet wherever they took hold, they would retain an element essential to their origin. And as they spread further across Europe, this element would remain.

©2021 Paul Strathern (P)2021 Tantor

interesting story, wonderful narration

Roger Clark is my favorite narrator. Indeed, he is the stupor mundi of audio narration. Indeed! the greatest of all time. Indeed!!!

Topic

Wonderful content. Interesting narrator. Throughly enjoyed. Would recommend to anyone who is interested in the topic.

Pulling together my pieces of history

Thank you so much for writing your books. I feel I have advance geometrically in my knowledge of medieval age.

Speaker

Strange pronunciation of certain words otherwise very enjoyable. Some stories I had not heard before made it interesting.

Good storytelling, not profound analysis

The story of Renaissance Florence competently and memorably told. But Strathern is not a profound historian of ideas or art.