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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
informative
slow-paced
Entertaining book for a fan of dark humor. Machiavelli was a deceptive and clever writer.
challenging
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
I personally think that what drove Machiavelli to construct his ideal image of a prince is due to the power struggle of his environment. Machiavelli could be thought of as a "populist",
"radical", or even "evil" by reading this book.
By being a populist, he emphasized getting the people approval and winning them over. Moreover, a Machiavellian leader was said to have the Virtu or qualities/features of knowing dirty tricks, avoiding flaterrers, mastering the art of war, etc. which, in turn, built the idea of Machiavelli as evil, radical, and populist by other readers. However, this was the product of surviving and thriving in a kingdom where war is a form of political and economic activity to acquire power, resources, land, etc.
In summation, The Prince is a book that I would recommend to those who want different perspectives about power. I do not think Machiavelli even mentioned politics in the book, instead he mentioned power a lot.
'The Prince' is essentially Machiavelli's C15th/C16th how to guide to being the best leader possible - not the most moral or ethical or respected, but the most effective and successful. The text is directed at Lorenzo de'Medici at a time in history during which Italy (as we know it today) was in a great deal of political strife. Here, using historical references and anecdotal evidence, Machiavelli offers advice about tackling the situation.
I'd always been interested in the "Machiavellian" character throughout literary history and this takes that idea back to the original source. Whilst the prose is often dry, didactic and heaped with outdated and now seemingly little-known historical references, the Tim Parks translation I read was more accessible than others I'd tried in the past.
I'd always been interested in the "Machiavellian" character throughout literary history and this takes that idea back to the original source. Whilst the prose is often dry, didactic and heaped with outdated and now seemingly little-known historical references, the Tim Parks translation I read was more accessible than others I'd tried in the past.
Interesting read, but to really gain the full value of the book you need a fair knowledge of the world in which Machiavelli lived, and a group to discuss. I had no group, and only a limited knowledge of Renaissance Italy. It limited my appreciation.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Well I'll start of with saying after reading it I found out that this book just isn't for me, I enjoy reading about history but this wasn't it. For me the book was a bit difficult to digest and took quite a bit of my brain power to comprehend and understand what I've read, I also understand that I'm definitely not the target audience those were the prince's of the time however I found reading Shakespeare in School a tad bit easier to read
My main complaint is how long it takes to get to certain points but reading mutlipe pages to get a statement in a very round about way was annoyingly boring. I've had a friend explain to me that this was most likely due to trying to make sure not to offend anyone At the time it was written.
Even though I've found this book hard I did enjoy it in a way. It's Intresting learning about history in this way. Some parts of this book definitely stuck with me and I'm looking forward to how I'll interpret any media set in the medieval period or anything from the perspective of a ruler from now on.
For a tldr: I think is a good and challenging book, however I wouldn't recommend it. Unless you enjoy history or wanna larp as an isekai protagonist then I said go for it
My main complaint is how long it takes to get to certain points but reading mutlipe pages to get a statement in a very round about way was annoyingly boring. I've had a friend explain to me that this was most likely due to trying to make sure not to offend anyone At the time it was written.
Even though I've found this book hard I did enjoy it in a way. It's Intresting learning about history in this way. Some parts of this book definitely stuck with me and I'm looking forward to how I'll interpret any media set in the medieval period or anything from the perspective of a ruler from now on.
For a tldr: I think is a good and challenging book, however I wouldn't recommend it. Unless you enjoy history or wanna larp as an isekai protagonist then I said go for it