Reviews for The Jews And The Expansion Of Europe To The West, 1450-1800

The average rating for The Jews And The Expansion Of Europe To The West, 1450-1800 based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-06-30 00:00:00 Simon Cain God is in the details. If you aren't willing to put any trust into this idea I can only suggest you turn far far away from this bundle of sexual microhistories the undeniably eccentric Dr. Cohen has on display for us. This is not just because the particular 'microhistory' itself is composed of an enormous amount of combed legal and social particulars, it's also because the final product, when bandaged together, can not avoid employing the reader with the duty of sifting through competing circumstance and data. Dr. Cohen makes this process easier for us. It's sort of like a game (as he says constantly throughout the book): where the activities of those far off Renaissance men and women (that we so strongly wish to know on a personal level) are displayed to us in the clearest light that is available, and it's our task to understand exactly what we're seeing. Most of these 6 microhistories directly deal with themes of Renaissance sexuality (understood through legal cases). Cohen doesn't just settle for boring instructive examples, he believes that the key to engaging with the past is through a good story. In this respect, to Dr. Cohen the best type of microhistory is one that draws the reader in. So their will be no 'run-of-the-mill' Renaissance extramarital affairs in this compilation. Instead what we get is lovers jumping through castle windows, crazy stalkers trying to infiltrate nunneries, high up officials raping entire families, etc. Their is no connection to a wider historical picture in this book because 'a good trial is a little world' in itself. This doesn't mean that Cohen won't talk about the deeper meaning of each case with regards to our understanding of the early modern Italian period, just don't expect a plain history snuggled in anywhere between these pages. Cohen himself is a little 'out there' in his historical method and presentation: one glance at the reviews available for this book will adequately display the extreme views certain people hold for his way of doing things. People think he comes off as a bush league historian because of his constant humorous interludes and the way he works with the sources. For example, one of these stories is converted into a full out 4 Act play because Cohen thinks the action can pull it off. Despite his peculiarities and irregular approach I can't help but liking his style, despite every part of my historical background telling me not to. "No historian just renders truth", but at least Cohen makes a interesting attempt to get us in close and personal to the atmosphere of Renaissance society. If you're interested in Early Modern Italian legal cases and sexual history this should not be skipped over.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-11-13 00:00:00 Vincent Fava I didn't enjoy this. I found the author's language artificial and occasionally overblown. The stories--which should have intrigued me--just didn't. I haven't been able to figure out why which I have tried to since the reviews were so overwhelmingly positive.