Chronicles the rise of European empires in the post-Napoleonic era and their dismantling in the twentieth century, analyzing the effects of empire-building on the politics and economies of the imperialists and the effects of colonization on the conquered

FROM CONQ TO COLLAPSE

Kiernan, Victor

Pantheon

In this book the distinguished historian Victor Kiernan makes a case for seeing Shakespeare as a writer profoundly sensitive to the great social and political upheavals through which he lived. Shakespeare’s poetic and dramatic achievement, Kiernan argues, was not something which transcended his environment but was directly enlarged by his civic consciousness and his critical reactions to a changing social fabric. Shakespeare’s phase of dramatic activity coincides with the first challenges to the institution of monarchy. Kiernan analyses the cycle of History plays in the light of the demise of feudal allegiances and the emergence of the modern state apparatus. He shows how the far-reaching transformations in social hierarchy which simultaneously began to take place are crucial to an understanding of the Comedies, in which confusion of identity, disguise and cross-dressing are central. And he examines the ways in which women’s roles are affected by this nascent individualism, especially in relation to the ideas of romantic love around which the Comedies revolve. Shakespeare: Poet and Citizen draws a vivid portrait of the outstanding dramatist of modernity. Lucid, scholarly and absorbing, it will be a rich resource for both students and the general reader.

Shakespeare: Poet and Citizen

Literature & Fiction

Dramas & Plays

Verso

When European explorers went out into the world to open up trade routes and establish colonies, they brought back much more than silks and spices, cotton and tea. Inevitably, they also brought back impressions of the people with whom they came into contact—impressions that, while occasionally admiring, were more often hostile or contemptuous. First published in 1969, and a major influence on a generation of historians and cultural critics, Victor Kiernan’s The Lords of Human Kind reveals the full range of those responses. Drawing on a wide array of sources, including missionaries’ memoirs, letters from the wives of diplomats, explorers’ diaries, and the work of writers as diverse as Voltaire, Thackeray, Goldsmith, and Kipling, Kiernan presents a sweeping account of European attitudes to other peoples that emerged from the Age of Exploration, endured through the colonial era, and, with some changes, persist in today’s more multicultural Europe. Erudite, ironic, and global in scope, The Lords of Human Kind is a landmark in the history of Eurocentrism, ready to reach a new generation of readers.

The Lords of Human Kind: European Attitudes to Other Cultures in the Imperial Age (Critique Influence Change)

History

Americas

Zed Books

While there have been many analyses of American imperialism, few have equaled the breadth or insight of America: From White Settlement to World Hegemony, which was one of the first books to provide a historical perspective on the origins of the American empire. Victor Kiernan, heralded by Edward Said as the “great Scottish historian of empire,” employs a nuanced knowledge of history, literature, and politics in his tracing of the evolution of American power. Far reaching and ambitious in its scope, the book combines accounts of the changing relationship between Native Americans and the white population with readings of the works of key cultural figures such as Melville and Whitman, as well as an analysis of the way in which money and politics became so closely intertwined in American democracy. The result is a compelling account of how the country came to be the dangerous global power that it is today. Brought up-to-date with an afterword by John Trumpbour, research director at Harvard Law School, this new edition includes a look at America’s ongoing war on terror.

America: From White Settlement to World Hegemony

With Shakespeare: Poet and Citizen, Kiernan displays how profoundly sensitive Shakespeare was to the massive social and political upheavals of his age. During the playwright’s lifetime, he saw the first challenges to monarchical rule, as well as serious transformations in England’s social hierarchy. Shakespeare witnessed and capitalized on these events, using major social changes, such as rebellious new female roles, prominently in his comedies, which feature identity confusion, gender bending, and cross-dressing. His historical plays, similarly, reflect the demise of feudal allegiances and the development of the modern state. By placing these plays within the context of England’s emerging modernity, Kiernan brilliantly upends our conventional perceptions of Shakespeare’s work.

Shakespeare’s era, dominated by social and economic upheavals, also saw an increase in tragic drama. The playwright’s famous eight tragedies, Kiernan argues, represent the artistic expression of a new social and political consciousness that permeated every aspect of life. Eight Tragedies of Shakespeare provides an in-depth analysis of each tragedy, examining recurring themes in a historical context and exploring attitudes at the time toward monarchy, war, religion, philosophy, and shifting gender roles. A vivid and absorbing portrait of a writer and his times, Eight Tragedies of Shakespeare is a rich resource for anyone searching for radical new insight into the life of the world’s greatest dramatist.

Eight Tragedies of Shakespeare

British & Irish

With Shakespeare: Poet and Citizen, Kiernan displays how profoundly sensitive Shakespeare was to the massive social and political upheavals of his age. During the playwright’s lifetime, he saw the first challenges to monarchical rule, as well as serious transformations in England’s social hierarchy. Shakespeare witnessed and capitalized on these events, using major social changes, such as rebellious new female roles, prominently in his comedies, which feature identity confusion, gender bending, and cross-dressing. His historical plays, similarly, reflect the demise of feudal allegiances and the development of the modern state. By placing these plays within the context of England’s emerging modernity, Kiernan brilliantly upends our conventional perceptions of Shakespeare’s work.

The Duel in European History: Honour and the Reign of Aristocracy

For centuries, the duel played an integral role in the preservation of the aristocratic order in Europe, despite countless attempts by both church and state to ban the practice. The drama of the duel has been romanticized in countless works of literature, and it has been an enduring fixture in films and theater reflecting the period. But how did the duel come to prominence in the first place as the form by which men staked their honor? And how did it develop its allure as a cultural and artistic device? Renowned historian Victor Kiernan explores these questions and more in The Duel in European History. With wit and insight, Kiernan provides an entertaining history of the evolution of the ritual of the duel, beginning with its medieval origins—when it was regarded as a badge of rank—and following the practice up to the early twentieth century, by which time it had come to be seen as an irrational anachronism. Kiernan argues persuasively that the idea of the duel was unique to Europe and its colonies, and, in its contribution to the development of the officers corps, played a key part in shaping European military power. In doing so, he sheds new light on the ascendency of aristocratic classes and the role that their values played in European history. This edition adds new depth to Kiernan’s fascinating historical account, with an original introduction from esteemed historian David Blackbourn, further exploring how and why the duel continues to ignite curiosity and the imagination.

Europe

For centuries, the duel played an integral role in the preservation of the aristocratic order in Europe, despite countless attempts by both church and state to ban the practice. The drama of the duel has been romanticized in countless works of literature, and it has been an enduring fixture in films and theater reflecting the period. But how did the duel come to prominence in the first place as the form by which men staked their honor? And how did it develop its allure as a cultural and artistic device? Renowned historian Victor Kiernan explores these questions and more in The Duel in European History.   With wit and insight, Kiernan provides an entertaining history of the evolution of the ritual of the duel, beginning with its medieval origins—when it was regarded as a badge of rank—and following the practice up to the early twentieth century, by which time it had come to be seen as an irrational anachronism. Kiernan argues persuasively that the idea of the duel was unique to Europe and its colonies, and, in its contribution to the development of the officers corps, played a key part in shaping European military power. In doing so, he sheds new light on the ascendency of aristocratic classes and the role that their values played in European history.   This edition adds new depth to Kiernan’s fascinating historical account, with an original introduction from esteemed historian David Blackbourn, further exploring how and why the duel continues to ignite curiosity and the imagination.  

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Kiernan, Victor. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Kiernan, Victor

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Kiernan, Victor. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

FROM CONQ TO COLLAPSE

Shakespeare: Poet and Citizen

The Lords of Human Kind: European Attitudes to Other Cultures in the Imperial Age (Critique Influence Change)

America: From White Settlement to World Hegemony

Shakespeare: Poet and Citizen

Eight Tragedies of Shakespeare

Shakespeare: Poet and Citizen

Eight Tragedies of Shakespeare

The Duel in European History: Honour and the Reign of Aristocracy

The Duel in European History: Honour and the Reign of Aristocracy