Reviews for Eighteenth-Century Body Art, History, Literature, Medicine

The average rating for Eighteenth-Century Body Art, History, Literature, Medicine based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-09-28 00:00:00 Benedek Nemeth Wolfram Eberhard's "A History of China" is the first (and only, thus far) historical work on China that I've read- and being that I knew nothing of China's history before starting this, my expectations weren't very high. Let me first announce that this particular volume can be read for free, either through Project Gutenberg or on the Amazon Kindle marketplace (though one version costs some money, and it includes the images that Eberhard used which are not in the free edition... go figure). That being the case, I think people should really take advantage of it. Why go in search of a two hundred dollar textbook when there are free documents for the taking? I digress. China's history is a long one. A LONG one. And it's very confusing. I lost count of the number of Dynasties, the number of civil wars, and the number of troubles associated with these numerous changes. I guess that goes without saying, and I've had the fortune (or misfortune) of being born into a country with a short history of just over three hundred years. It's no surprise, then, that I know more American history than anything else. My point being that even after finishing this particular book, I still don't really have a grasp on China's history. I don't blame the author; I think that I need to investigate further resources. Truly, Eberhard crafted a fairly stable history. He covers an obnoxious amount of time in a fairly small amount of pages, and yet still manages to touch upon the most important factors and explain them well enough for a new student of Chinese history to grasp and understand. What I found most interesting is the fact that there is really no sense of bias in these pages, especially considering the fact that this book is quite dated. Eberhard may be a westerner, but his perspective as a historian embraces eastern ideology as a credible one. His knowledge of Chinese culture is, apparently, vast, and he manages to use it to his advantage while examining the tumultuous changes in China's history. This is relevant, of course, for every nation across the globe has evolved at its own singular rate and, despite sharing many similarities with its cousins, is bound to look a bit differently from the outside when all is "said and done." I'm speaking, of course, of socialism. I do not doubt that some western historians may claim at some point that China is heading in "the wrong direction." And yet a careful analysis of China's past may lead the reader to realize that things truly aren't ever so different. Did the Chinese peasant suffer under the tyranny of its aristocratic rulers? Certainly. Don't to sound like a Marxist, but the more history I come to read, the more I realize that the struggle of the proletariat really IS the common theme of history across the globe. It's extraordinary, really, that capitalism has continued to thrive in as many countries as it does today. Sorry for the political tangent. Anyway, Eberhard's history is a decent starting point for a student of Chinese history, and one could even argue that this is more of a "social history" of China than otherwise, which will delight those interested in cultural studies. There's quite a deal of talk on the arts, literature, and the status of the common folk, and some brief notes on religious affairs. One may wonder why I only gave the book three stars. Well, to be perfectly honest, I was sometimes bored. Do you blame me? This is a history book. How many history books have YOU read that have the capability of entertaining you into the wee hours of the night? I find that the heavier the prose (especially in regards to the use of jargon), the heavier my eyes become. Not that this book always made me tired, but the endless talk of changing Dynasties did cause my mind to drift. At any rate, I plan to read more on China's history and satisfy my interest sufficiently. In comparison to Japanese history (I've studied some due to my soft spot for all things Japanese), Chinese history is certainly more engaging. Maybe I should read up on the Koreans next.

Review # 2 was written on 2017-02-21 00:00:00 Tom Mcgaffigan Really a good read on the history of China. It wasn't just facts but how those facts impacted everyday life. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it.