Making History: How Great Historians Interpret the Past
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Making History: How Great Historians Interpret the Past
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Narrated by:
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Allen C. Guelzo
About this listen
How do historians create their histories? What role do the historian's viewpoint and method play in what we accept as truth? Answer these and other questions as you go inside the minds of our greatest historians and explore the idea of written history as it has shaped humanity's story over 2,000 years.
These 24 intriguing lectures introduce you to the seminal thinking of historians such as: Herodotus, considered by many the first history writer, who replaced the poetic imagination of Homer with istorieis, or inquiry; Livy, the author of a 142-volume didactic history of Rome that spanned three continents and seven centuries; David Hume, who framed English history with an evolutionary vision of economic, political, and intellectual freedom; and Edward Gibbon, whose monumental Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire forged a complex picture of epic collapse and decay.
From the dramatic and military exploits of Xenophon and Thucydides in ancient Greece to Macaulay's dynamic career in the 19th century, from the bloody era of Christian Reformation to the revolutions of the Enlightenment, Professor Guelzo takes you into the trenches with great minds throughout history.
And beneath the surface of written history, you'll examine the processes that create accepted views of historical events, and you'll uncover the ways in which understanding how history is written is crucial to understanding historical events themselves. The journey rewards you with an unforgettable insight into our human heritage and the chance to look with discerning eyes at human events in their deeper meanings.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
©2008 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2008 The Great CoursesWhat listeners say about Making History: How Great Historians Interpret the Past
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Deirdre E Siegel
- 09-05-2021
Professor Guelzo turning history into ear candy
This has been my funniest history up-grade, the professor does a splendid job of reviving old stodge in tasty morsels :-)
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David Graieg
- 09-12-2020
A solid survey of influential historians
An informative and engaging overview of how some of the influential historians in history have approached the writing of history. Guelzo does this primarily through case studies, namely:
1 History as the Second Question
2 Homer and Herodotus
3 Marching with Xenophon
4 The Unhappy Thucydides
5 Men of Mixed Motives—Polybius and Sallust
6 The Grandeur That Was Livy
7 Tacitus—Chronicler of Chaos
8 The Christian Claim to Continuity
9 Augustine’s City—Struggle for the Future
10 Faith and the End of Time
11 The Birth of Criticism
12 The Reformation—The Disruption of History
13 The Reformation—Continuity or Apocalypse?
14 Enlightening History
15 The Rise and Triumph of Edward Gibbon
16 History as Science—Kant, Ranke, and Comte
17 The Whig Interpretation of History
18 Romantic History
19 The Apocalypse of Karl Marx
20 Culture and History
21 Civilization as History
22 The American History Lesson
23 Closing the Frontier
24 The Value of History
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nelson C
- 24-02-2016
The Substance Underlying How History is Expressed
I thought this series was fantastic. I have a great interest in not just history, but the philosophy thereof. One cannot suppose that history may be objectively transmitted to others. We all colour it with our own subjective brushstrokes - even when it has an expressly objective intent - information is still selectively chosen and certain themes become the main focus. This series is an exploration of history and the way it is expressed, but this is what makes the writing of history so interesting. These viewpoints add richness to historical narrative and endeavor to add relevance to its words.
I really liked Prof Guelzo. Some people think he is a little pompous and over the top, but I really liked the way he discussed the material. He brought these lectures to life and added a dramatic and interesting flair.
Many might not like because the may assume it is a bunch of history lectures. These lectures, although they touch on history, are more of a philosophy of history, a look at historiography.
I give this course a solid 5 stars on all counts and will definitely relisten.
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1 person found this helpful