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Sto caricando le informazioni... History of King Alfred of England (1849)di Jacob Abbott
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Iscriviti per consentire a LibraryThing di scoprire se ti piacerà questo libro. Attualmente non vi sono conversazioni su questo libro. HWFJIB3Y This is the most under-researched and off-topic history book I’ve read to date. Would’ve rated it one star but opted for two when considering the author was a nineteenth-century American writing about English history when he doubtless lacked much info that's available on Alfred nowadays. But why attempt writing a biography of someone if research is so restricted? Even the book’s title is erroneous, as Alfred was not King of England, he was King of Wessex. Alfred laid the foundations of a united England, but it was his grandson Æthelstan who became my country’s first monarch. Other errors include a reference to the four kingdoms of England during the 800s. The author gets three right but names the fourth as Essex when it was in fact East Anglia. At one point Alfred is said to have died in 900. At another he’s said to have died in 900 or 901. In truth, Alfred died in 899. Clearly the author was unsure of the date, so why state it as fact one minute, only to say it was either this year or that in the next minute? Anyway, he's got it wrong. My biggest criticism is the huge amount of time spent detailing times and events that are off-topic. Apart from the first two paragraphs, Chapters 1-3 have nothing to do with Alfred, while Chapters 4 & 5 barely touch on the subject matter either, as this quote from the end of Chapter 5 illustrates: >But we must end these digressions, which we have indulged thus far in order to give the reader some distinct conception of the ideas and habits of the times, and proceed, in the next chapter, to relate the events immediately connected with Alfred's accession to the throne. This book is part of a series of historical treatments produced in the mid nineteenth century by Jacob Abbott, apparently an American author of, largely, children's literature. As a work of literature, it is beautifully written. As a work of history, it reflects the views and attitudes towards historical evidence of its time, and is now of very limited value. Chroniclers' stories of dubious veracity are recounted at length. There are very few dates, and very little serious examination of motive. Pages are given over to the innate superiority of the Anglo Saxon race among all other Caucasians, and of that race over all others; and the innate superiority of Christianity over the Danes' pagan beliefs; Alfred was the crowning apotheosis of the Anglo Saxon Christian race in this telling. His undoubted real greatness as the founder of the English nation in something approaching its modern form is thereby transformed into an almost Christ-like godliness, an approach that would invite automatic scepticism if applied by a modern biographer. The last and longest chapter leaps forward a century to tell the story of Godwin (whom he makes the son of a Warwickshire peasant), Emma and the sons of Canute, on the premise that nothing of interest to the non-specialist reader happened during this time (so much for Athelstan, who consolidated and extended Alfred's nation-building achievements). Despite all this, I enjoyed reading this for its literary merits, and as an example of the historiography of the time, but it is to be taken with a huge pinch of salt as a historical account. 2.5/5 nessuna recensione | aggiungi una recensione
Appartiene alle SerieMakers of History (Book 11)
A chronicle of one of the greatest Kings in history. Alfred the Great defended the Anglo-Saxons from the invading Vikings, as well as working to improve the legal system in his kingdom. The current Queen of England is a direct descendent of this fascinating man. Non sono state trovate descrizioni di biblioteche |
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Google Books — Sto caricando le informazioni... GeneriSistema Decimale Melvil (DDC)942.0164092History and Geography Europe England and Wales England Anglo-Saxon B.C. 55 - A.D. 1066 Alfred the GreatClassificazione LCVotoMedia:
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