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Latin Francoise Waquet

Latin By Francoise Waquet

Latin by Francoise Waquet


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Condition - Very Good
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Summary

Acclaimed cultural history of Latin's rise and fall

Latin Summary

Latin: or, the Empire of a Sign by Francoise Waquet

Though not without its rivals, Latin stood at the apex of Western culture from the Renaissance until relatively recently. Francoise Waquet offers an enthralling, original history of the language's uses, its detractors and defenders, and the social hierarchies its practitioners inscribed.

Granted a new lease of life by the Humanists and the Catholic Church, Latin was the form in which generations of schoolchildren were taught to read, millions of people worshipped, and an international community of scholars communicated with one another. It conveyed sacredness, but also obscenity; learning, as well as pedantry; science, but also trickery and mumbo-jumbo. Few individuals even among the clergy or the most learned scholars have ever managed to speak it with any degree of correctness or fluency, let alone elegance.

Why, despite rationalist criticisms that Latin was inaccessible to the great majority of people, and inconvenient and time-consuming for the rest, did it maintain such a strong presence - some would say a tyranny - for so long?

Latin Reviews

A splendid book: original in method, suggestive in argument, and a pleasure to read. -- Anthony Grafton * London Review of Books *
... [a] fascinating and lively survey of the place of Latin western culture during the past 400 years. * Independent *
... richly researched and delightful ... with scholars of Waquet's generosity and ability, the old language might yet have a future. * New Criterion *
... detailed and wide-ranging ... * Los Angeles Times Book Review *
... an eloquent obituary ... * Spectator *
Fascinating. -- A.C. Grayling * Guardian, Summer Choice *
Latin is dead and this book is its epitaph ... it is the merit and interest of Waquet's survey that she finds Latin not only deployed for the liturgy, but also to describe things carnal, pornographic, or otherwise shameful. * Daily Telegraph *
A wonderful survey. -- A. N. Wilson

About Francoise Waquet

Francoise Waquet is director of research emeritus at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris. Latin, or the Empire of a Sign is the opening volume in a highly praised sequence of books on the social worlds of intellectuals, continued most recently with Une histoire emotionnelle du savoir (2019).

Additional information

GOR013811013
9781804290491
1804290491
Latin: or, the Empire of a Sign by Francoise Waquet
Used - Very Good
Paperback
Verso Books
2023-02-07
368
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - Latin