While all of this is the sort of stuff that professional medievalists love to see, the thing I like most about Perry and Gabriele’s effort is that it is fun. The Bright Ages is written in such an engaging and light manner that it is easy to race through. I found myself at the end of chapters faster than I wanted to be, completely drawn in by the narrative. You can tell how much the authors love the subject matter, and that they had a great time choosing stories to share and evidence to consider.” — Slate
"Incandescent and ultimately intoxicating, for as the chapters progress, it dawns on the reader that those who lived in this period were more conventional than cardboard figures. . . . They were, in essence, human." — Boston Globe
"This revisionist history of medieval Europe takes apart the myth of a savage, primitive period . . . with passion and verve, [Gabriele and Perry challenge] the reader to tackle assumptions, bias and prejudices about the past to create a more joined-up, inclusive picture of the thousand years that followed the sack of Rome." — Peter Frankopan, The Guardian
"The Bright Ages is a necessary book. It does the hard work of introducing audiences to a world that we too often overlook for expressly political reasons. It is also a joyful work. The medieval period, Perry and Gabriele argue, has good news for us. The world can be beautiful without centralized and brutal imperial power." — Los Angeles Review of Books
"....a magic carpet ride around all manner of medieval places and moments....Perry and Gabriele are particularly keen to wrestle the Middle Ages from the clutches of white supremacists and other dangerous forces that yearn for a full return to a simplified version of the period. And so the authors present the doings of clever and durable women, too often overlooked among the churning dynasties of the early Middle Ages." — Irish Examiner
“The Bright Ages shines a light on an age too often obscured by myth, legend, and fairy tales. Traveling easily through a thousand years of history, The Bright Ages reminds us society never collapsed when the Roman Empire fell, nor did the modern world wake civilization from a thousand-year hibernation. Gabriele and Perry show the medieval world was neither a romantic wonderland nor a deplorable dungeon, but instead a real world full of real people with hopes, dreams, and fears making the most of their time on earth.” — Mike Duncan, author of Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution and The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic
“This book is perfect for people who are interested in the period but don't know where to start. Because the scale is sweeping but so well organized. . . . Most importantly, it's really entertaining, so. I recommend.” — Brandon Taylor, author of Real Life and Filthy Animals
"A lively, searing, and transformative reimagining of the medieval world, The Bright Ages is brilliant in every way, both lucid in its arguments and sparkling in its prose. A gripping and compulsive read." — Bruce Holsinger, author of A Burnable Book and The Gifted School
"In this engaging new history of the Medieval period Gabriele and Perry achieve a feat: they have written something eminently readable, suffused with academic rigor, and ethically responsible." — Candida Moss, author of The Myth of Persecution
"Historians Gabriele and Perry argue in this accessible revisionist history that the so-called Dark Ages was actually a period of innovation that helped pave the way for the Renaissance and Enlightenment. . . . They add nuance and complexity to popular conceptions of the Dark Ages and make clear that beauty and achievement existed among the horrors. This is a worthy introduction to an oft-misunderstood period in world history." — Publishers Weekly
"Although traditional politics-and–great-men history makes an appearance, the authors keep current by including a surprising number of great women and emphasizing their disapproval of racism, sexism, and slavery. The result is an appealing account of a millennium packed with culture, beauty, science, learning, and the rise and fall of empires." — Kirkus Reviews
"Noted medieval historians Gabriele and Perry provide an engaging overview of a complex, yet often oversimplified era....sure to become a new standard for those seeking a comprehensive and inclusive review of medieval times." — Booklist
"Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry liberate the Middle Ages from stereotypes and half-truths in The Bright Ages , revealing that world as 'not simple or clean, but messy and human'....[a] lively account of a misunderstood era." — Shelf Awareness
"This accessible trip through the medieval world is well worth taking for anyone wishing to better understand its complexity." — Library Journal
"Chapter by chapter, Gabriele and Perry usher into view, from behind the curtain of the familiar grand narratives and from multiple locations, an eclectic cast of characters—many of them women—who exemplify, in a multitude of ways, a dazzling brightness where history has instructed us to see only gloom." — First Things
"Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry liberate the Middle Ages from stereotypes and half-truths in The Bright Ages , revealing that world as 'not simple or clean, but messy and human'....[a] lively account of a misunderstood era."
12/01/2021
The so-called Dark Ages have long been associated with intolerance, war, and disease. Gabriele (medieval studies, Virginia Tech; An Empire of Memory ) and historian Perry's (Sacred Plunder ) illuminating history argues that those notions are self-serving myths designed to show that the Middle Ages were "the opposite of what we want our modern world to be." Gabriele and Perry are concerned with telling a version of medieval history that deepens our understanding of the events and ideas that shaped the medieval world. The sacking of Rome by the Visigoths in 410 is often said to mark the beginning of the Middle Ages; Gabriele and Perry, however, begin with an image of a mosaic dome of a church built by empress Galla Placidia in the fifth century. Cultural and political continuity are major themes in the book's treatment of a wide range of subjects, from the well-known (Beowulf ) to the more obscure (the mystic visions of Gerbert in the 11th century). In a short epilogue, the authors argue that liberating ourselves from simplistic notions of the Middle Ages will enable us to better understand both the horrors and the fullness of our own age. VERDICT This accessible trip through the medieval world is well worth taking for anyone wishing to better understand its complexity.—Colin Chappell, Anne Arundel Cty. P.L., MD
2021-09-29
Nothing upsets current scholars of the Middle Ages more than calling it “the dark ages.” Gabriele, professor of medieval studies at Virginia Tech, and Perry, former professor of medieval history at Dominican University, make a lively case that it was no such thing. Traditionally, medieval histories begin in 476, when the military leader Odoacer deposed the last Western Roman emperor, but this was a non-event. Deposing emperors had been routine for centuries; the only difference was that Odoacer didn’t take the title for himself. Complicating matters further, a Roman empire ruled from Constantinople continued for another millennium. At the time, it was not called “Byzantine.” The authors proceed with a vivid description of centuries of quarrelsome jockeying as Franks, Lombards, Goths, Saxons, and countless other groups sorted themselves out until the light seemed to dawn with Charlemagne (ruled 800-814), who united much of Europe and considered himself the successor to Constantine and Augustus. His realm dissolved after his death, followed by more centuries of “large chunks of western Europe now divided into fragmenting segments fraught with low-grade but constant strife.” By the beginning of the second millennium, the earliest modern European states appeared with ambitious leaders who led armies across the continent, prospered in a 12th-century “renaissance,” and then suffered from invasions and plagues. Matters settled down in the 15th century with the capital-R Renaissance seemingly heralding the modern world. Although traditional politics-and–great-men history makes an appearance, the authors keep current by including a surprising number of great women and emphasizing their disapproval of racism, sexism, and slavery. The result is an appealing account of a millennium packed with culture, beauty, science, learning, and the rise and fall of empires.
A fine single-volume overview of an age that was definitely not dark.
"In this engaging new history of the Medieval period Gabriele and Perry achieve a feat: they have written something eminently readable, suffused with academic rigor, and ethically responsible."
This book is perfect for people who are interested in the period but don't know where to start. Because the scale is sweeping but so well organized. . . . Most importantly, it's really entertaining, so. I recommend.
While all of this is the sort of stuff that professional medievalists love to see, the thing I like most about Perry and Gabriele’s effort is that it is fun. The Bright Ages is written in such an engaging and light manner that it is easy to race through. I found myself at the end of chapters faster than I wanted to be, completely drawn in by the narrative. You can tell how much the authors love the subject matter, and that they had a great time choosing stories to share and evidence to consider.
“The Bright Ages shines a light on an age too often obscured by myth, legend, and fairy tales. Traveling easily through a thousand years of history, The Bright Ages reminds us society never collapsed when the Roman Empire fell, nor did the modern world wake civilization from a thousand-year hibernation. Gabriele and Perry show the medieval world was neither a romantic wonderland nor a deplorable dungeon, but instead a real world full of real people with hopes, dreams, and fears making the most of their time on earth.”
"A lively, searing, and transformative reimagining of the medieval world, The Bright Ages is brilliant in every way, both lucid in its arguments and sparkling in its prose. A gripping and compulsive read."
"The Bright Ages is a necessary book. It does the hard work of introducing audiences to a world that we too often overlook for expressly political reasons. It is also a joyful work. The medieval period, Perry and Gabriele argue, has good news for us. The world can be beautiful without centralized and brutal imperial power."
Los Angeles Review of Books
"Incandescent and ultimately intoxicating, for as the chapters progress, it dawns on the reader that those who lived in this period were more conventional than cardboard figures. . . . They were, in essence, human."
"This revisionist history of medieval Europe takes apart the myth of a savage, primitive period . . . with passion and verve, [Gabriele and Perry challenge] the reader to tackle assumptions, bias and prejudices about the past to create a more joined-up, inclusive picture of the thousand years that followed the sack of Rome."
"Noted medieval historians Gabriele and Perry provide an engaging overview of a complex, yet often oversimplified era....sure to become a new standard for those seeking a comprehensive and inclusive review of medieval times."
"Noted medieval historians Gabriele and Perry provide an engaging overview of a complex, yet often oversimplified era....sure to become a new standard for those seeking a comprehensive and inclusive review of medieval times."
While all of this is the sort of stuff that professional medievalists love to see, the thing I like most about Perry and Gabriele’s effort is that it is fun. The Bright Ages is written in such an engaging and light manner that it is easy to race through. I found myself at the end of chapters faster than I wanted to be, completely drawn in by the narrative. You can tell how much the authors love the subject matter, and that they had a great time choosing stories to share and evidence to consider.
Narrator Jim Meskimen presents this argument, “ A New History of Medieval Europe,” in a voice both forceful and convivial. He speaks as if—like Demosthenes—he had water in his mouth, a pebble under his tongue. The authors have renamed the Dark Ages, calling them the Bright Ages. The Renaissance, they say, originated in this slandered era. Starting with an Italian chapel, they smash common misconceptions. Jews spoke Latin in Dark Age markets, while parrots off-loaded from Venetian ships were sent to Britain. Meskimen delivers the material with enthusiasm bordering on wonder. Sadly, this work is more an idea than a history. If you mean to confound your friends with incongruous Dark Age facts, here is your source. If your voice is as captivating as Meskimen’s, they will be delighted, if not entirely convinced. B.H.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Narrator Jim Meskimen presents this argument, “ A New History of Medieval Europe,” in a voice both forceful and convivial. He speaks as if—like Demosthenes—he had water in his mouth, a pebble under his tongue. The authors have renamed the Dark Ages, calling them the Bright Ages. The Renaissance, they say, originated in this slandered era. Starting with an Italian chapel, they smash common misconceptions. Jews spoke Latin in Dark Age markets, while parrots off-loaded from Venetian ships were sent to Britain. Meskimen delivers the material with enthusiasm bordering on wonder. Sadly, this work is more an idea than a history. If you mean to confound your friends with incongruous Dark Age facts, here is your source. If your voice is as captivating as Meskimen’s, they will be delighted, if not entirely convinced. B.H.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
