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As an aside, I found Neal Stephenson's historical fiction the Baroque Cycle, to be a wonderful exposition of the invention of the modern in the 17th and 18th ce
by JackFr 10y ago
As an aside, I found Neal Stephenson's historical fiction the Baroque Cycle, to be a wonderful exposition of the invention of the modern in the 17th and 18th century.
Apart from the swashbuckling, romance and intrigue what makes the books so compelling is the idea that so much of what we take for granted with respect to our worldview and our mindset was created at this time.
- Balgair 10y agoHow so? I'm kinda going through the lead up and fall-out of the Peace of Westphalia right now and would love to know your opinion of Stephenson's work.
- JackFr 10y agoI'm not sure I understand your question. As an undergraduate history minor I took electives all over the place, including 'The Glorious Revolution', 'The Scientific Revolution' and 'The Rise of Financial Capitalism'. Even though I kind of knew it, reading the Baroque Cycle it really hit home that all of these things were happening at the same time, and over the course of a generation or two, the world, and in the West the worldview, was really, fundamentally changed (WRT, the Peace of Westphalia - not sure where you're writing from -- but if you're ever in the neighborhood visit Muenster and check out the room where it was signed, as well as the cages for the Anabaptist leaders still hanging from the cathedral steeple.)