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The Reformation: A History
by Diarmaid MacCulloch
When deciding on the rating to give to the books I've read, I'm always torn between giving it a score reflecting how I enjoyed the book subjectively and a score reflecting how good I recognised the book to be objectively. Frequently I'll find these two perspectives agree (it's certainly easier to enjoy a book that you recognise to be a literary achievement than to enjoy one you don't), but that really wasn't the case here.
Let the record show that I didn't enjoy this book. It is long, dense and comprised of a seemingly endless string of names and locations. It's my own fault: I wanted to school myself on the history of the Reformation (a period of history I've always been a little foggy about) and perhaps I should have waded into something shallower first before diving into the dark, deep waters that Diarmaid McCulloch has formed here. I'm comfortable with longer, denser books normally, but I must say that completing this one was something of an ordeal, and I was a little relieved when I finally completed it.
But perhaps I'm being a little negative: the trajectory of the narrative (and the text does largely take the form of a narrative, spanning the years 1490-1700) is clear and consistent, and McCulloch's style is always readable. Those who expecting a thorough account of these tumultuous years will not be disappointed, and I can't imagine that there is a more authoritative account of the Reformation currently available on the market. The chapters dealing with the religious situation prior to the Reformation are particularly informative and worth reading, as are the sections dealing with the early schisms that existed within Protestantism from the beginning (i.e. the disagreements between Luther and Zwingli, the constantly shafting sectarian battles in 16th-17th England and so on). If you are prepared for the level of detail, this book really does stand tall as a work of quality scholarship that manages to remain eminently readable throughout. But its that degree of detail that represents this book's biggest problem.
Since this book intends to examine the effects of the Reformation in its entirety, we are treated parallel accounts of religious developments in almost all of Europe's countries during the period described. Some of these developments - such as those in England, Holland, France, Germany, Italy etc. - were genuinely important, and there is little doubt that the ramifications of these developments in such countries have left a deep impression in the course of global history. But did we really need dozens of pages of detail when describing the course of the Lithuanian church? Or the politics of 17th century Denmark? Or the plights of minor Bohemian religious sects? Did these developments in any way shape the course of the Reformation - let alone subsequent history - outside of these countries?
And let it be noted that I'm not simply complaining because I find such detail to be tedious or time-consuming, I think it really does detract from our ability to grasp the bigger picture. It becomes impossible to see the forest for all the trees and McCulloch only rarely raises us upon his great shoulders to get a better view. The spread of Protestantism and fate of Catholic Church is spelled out in great detail for (as I mentioned) almost every country in Europe, comprising a disorienting blur of minor names and locations, but we are never given a broader overview or explanation as to why, for instance, northern Europe came to be dominated by Protestantism while the south remained largely Catholic. An entire chapter (of over 50 pages, from memory) is devoted to the 30 Years War, and I'm still left almost completely unaware of what role religion might have played in the conflict. For those with a solid background understanding of the period this mightn't be such a problem, but it left me feeling like I'd learned little from the best part of a month of committed reading.
But, as I said, I must blame myself for much of this. I should have started with something simpler, and McCulloch can hardly be blamed for failing to tailor his work to my needs. If you have the kind of time, patience and knowledge that I don't, you're not going to find a better narrative account of the Reformation than this. Objectively, I cannot deny that this is an incredible book. I just really didn't enjoy reading it.
Let the record show that I didn't enjoy this book. It is long, dense and comprised of a seemingly endless string of names and locations. It's my own fault: I wanted to school myself on the history of the Reformation (a period of history I've always been a little foggy about) and perhaps I should have waded into something shallower first before diving into the dark, deep waters that Diarmaid McCulloch has formed here. I'm comfortable with longer, denser books normally, but I must say that completing this one was something of an ordeal, and I was a little relieved when I finally completed it.
But perhaps I'm being a little negative: the trajectory of the narrative (and the text does largely take the form of a narrative, spanning the years 1490-1700) is clear and consistent, and McCulloch's style is always readable. Those who expecting a thorough account of these tumultuous years will not be disappointed, and I can't imagine that there is a more authoritative account of the Reformation currently available on the market. The chapters dealing with the religious situation prior to the Reformation are particularly informative and worth reading, as are the sections dealing with the early schisms that existed within Protestantism from the beginning (i.e. the disagreements between Luther and Zwingli, the constantly shafting sectarian battles in 16th-17th England and so on). If you are prepared for the level of detail, this book really does stand tall as a work of quality scholarship that manages to remain eminently readable throughout. But its that degree of detail that represents this book's biggest problem.
Since this book intends to examine the effects of the Reformation in its entirety, we are treated parallel accounts of religious developments in almost all of Europe's countries during the period described. Some of these developments - such as those in England, Holland, France, Germany, Italy etc. - were genuinely important, and there is little doubt that the ramifications of these developments in such countries have left a deep impression in the course of global history. But did we really need dozens of pages of detail when describing the course of the Lithuanian church? Or the politics of 17th century Denmark? Or the plights of minor Bohemian religious sects? Did these developments in any way shape the course of the Reformation - let alone subsequent history - outside of these countries?
And let it be noted that I'm not simply complaining because I find such detail to be tedious or time-consuming, I think it really does detract from our ability to grasp the bigger picture. It becomes impossible to see the forest for all the trees and McCulloch only rarely raises us upon his great shoulders to get a better view. The spread of Protestantism and fate of Catholic Church is spelled out in great detail for (as I mentioned) almost every country in Europe, comprising a disorienting blur of minor names and locations, but we are never given a broader overview or explanation as to why, for instance, northern Europe came to be dominated by Protestantism while the south remained largely Catholic. An entire chapter (of over 50 pages, from memory) is devoted to the 30 Years War, and I'm still left almost completely unaware of what role religion might have played in the conflict. For those with a solid background understanding of the period this mightn't be such a problem, but it left me feeling like I'd learned little from the best part of a month of committed reading.
But, as I said, I must blame myself for much of this. I should have started with something simpler, and McCulloch can hardly be blamed for failing to tailor his work to my needs. If you have the kind of time, patience and knowledge that I don't, you're not going to find a better narrative account of the Reformation than this. Objectively, I cannot deny that this is an incredible book. I just really didn't enjoy reading it.