The Autumn of the Middle Ages

by Johan Huizinga

Book Overview

"Here is the first full translation into English of one of the 20th century's few undoubted classics of history." --Washington Post Book World

The Autumn of the Middle Ages is Johan Huizinga's classic portrait of life, thought, and art in fourteenth- and fifteenth-century France and the Netherlands. Few who have read this book in English realize that The Waning of the Middle Ages, the only previous translation, is vastly different from the original Dutch, and incompatible will all other European-language translations.

For Huizinga, the fourteenth- and fifteenth-century marked not the birth of a dramatically new era in history--the Renaissance--but the fullest, ripest phase of medieval life and thought. However, his work was criticized both at home and in Europe for being "old-fashioned" and "too literary" when The Waning of the Middle Ages was first published in 1919. In the 1924 translation, Fritz Hopman adapted, reduced and altered the Dutch edition--softening Huizinga's passionate arguments, dulling his nuances, and eliminating theoretical passages. He dropped many passages Huizinga had quoted in their original old French. Additionally, chapters were rearranged, all references were dropped, and mistranslations were introduced.

This translation corrects such errors, recreating the second Dutch edition which represents Huizinga's thinking at its most important stage. Everything that was dropped or rearranged has been restored. Prose quotations appear in French, with translations preprinted at the bottom of the page, mistranslations have been corrected.

"The advantages of the new translation are so many. . . . It is one of the greatest, as well as one of the most enthralling, historical classics of the twentieth century, and everyone will surely want to read it in the form that was obviously intended by the author." --Francis Haskell, New York Review of Books

"A once pathbreaking piece of historical interpretation. . . . This new translation will no doubt bring Huizinga and his pioneering work back into the discussion of historical interpretation." --Rosamond McKitterick, New York Times Book Review

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226359921
• ISBN13: 9780226359922
• Release Date: March 1996
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 490 Pages
• Weight: 2.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Great copy of an old classic

A great little book, it was the first book I read from the library about the middle ages way back in the 70's! Thrilled with this purchase! In very good condition for a "good" condition book.

superlative

Though this book is absolutely excellent (though the style takes a little getting used to), it shouldn't be the first book you read on the Middle Ages.I say that not so much because the book is difficult, as because it's elliptical. The book has a lot of discussion about themes prevalent in the art and literature of the later Middle Ages, but it's not a "history": it doesn't tell you what happened.For example, to make a point about fastidious medieval protocol, Huizinga relates an anecdote about the battle of Crecy. But he never explains what the battle was, who fought in it, or why it was important. He assumes you already know that stuff, so don't come to this book looking for a more straightforward history. This is more a discussion of the major themes and movements of the age, divided by chapter.

classic view of aesthetics and life

I first read this book 25 years ago in college. At the time, it was one of those book I just wanted to get through for a grade, but there were details of it I remembered, such as the common practice of sllicing apples into thirds to represent the Trinity.Well, picking up this book to re-read while living in Europe turned out to be a far greater pleasure than I imagined. Huizinga offers an elegant portrait of an entire era, the Late Middle Ages, in both visual and intellectual detail. You learn about codes of honor, the different ways in which life was perceived, and the practices of love. It is beautifully written and vivid.There are limitation to the approach, of course. It is not about economics or living standards. It does not function as a survey, and hence the reader must have solid knowledge of medieval history before starting the book. You will have to get these elsewhere. But if you come to this book with the right expectations, it is fascinating and wonderful from cover to cover. Warmly recommended.

The historian's eye..a different world

Undoubtably, this translation will convince those of us that were unable to read Huizinga in the original, that he is one of this century's greatest historians. His eye for detail and the ability to unfold latent meanings in art and literature parallels only to that of S. Liberman in his work on Hellenism. A must read.

A Rich Tapestry of Late Medieval Life

Huizinga's quintessential work of medieval history was, in effect, reborn with this new translation. Ideas long thought outmoded were given new color, in subtler shades, by this word-for-word translation from the original Dutch. Huizinga's true thesis is now made available to the English speaking public, which had heretofore only had access to the truncated, and much simplified, prior English edition. But the rich anecdotal details remain, the poetry, art, and prayer still ring true. And the dirty ripeness of the later middle ages is laid before your eyes with each chapter.