This chronologically organized introduction to the Western humanities (art, music, history, literature, and drama) establishes the historical context of each era before the arts are discussed. Hundreds of illustrations appear throughout the text, "Personal Perspectives" boxes bring to life the events of the day, and brief sections at the end of each chapter describe the cultural legacy of the era discussed. Volume II ofThe Western Humanitiescovers the period from the Renaissance through the present.

With humor, lucidity, and unflinching rigor, the acclaimed authors of Who Killed Homer? and Plagues of the Mind unsparingly document the degeneration of a central, if beleaguered, discipline—classics—and reveal the root causes of its decline. Hanson, Heath, and Thornton point to academics themselves—their careerist ambitions, incessant self-promotion, and overspecialized scholarship, among other things—as the progenitors of the crisis, and call for a return to “academic populism,” an approach characterized by accessible, unspecialized writing, selfless commitment to students and teaching, and respect for the legacy of freedom and democracy that the ancients bequeathed to the West.