When Stephen Greenblatt was an undergrad at Yale University, he stopped by the local Co-op and, browsing through some unwanted and cheap books, he discovered a prose translation of Lucretius's two thousand year old poem, "On the Nature of Things." He purchased it for ten cents.
Greenblatt begins his brilliant and fascinating new book, The Swerve: How the World Became Modern, with a similar anecdote of discovery. He recounts the journey of Poggio Bracciolini, a papal secretary and humanist who, in the winter of 1417, traveled to a monastery looking for ancient manuscripts. There he rediscovered, by accident, one of the last known copies of Lucretius's text, thus preventing its disappearance into oblivion.
It is the bold thesis of this book that this moment, the rescue of "On the Nature of Things," caused a "swerve" in the course of history, urging Europe into the Renaissance and the Early Modern period. According to Greenblatt, Lucretius's poem, written in 50 B.C.E., had this history-altering and "dismantling" effect because of the dangerous ideas that the poem contained, including the existence of atoms and the idea that the universe lacks a creator or afterlife. The release, spread and percolation of these concepts, so argues this book, profoundly altered the way the world thought.
It might sound absurd to suggest that a single poem could cause such a profound ripple effect. Greenblatt's book reminds the reader of a classic superhero movie, except here, it is "one text that saved the world." But Greenblatt's thinking is not all that strange, and it in fact follows one of the most significant movements in literary criticism in recent years, New Historicism. A scholar practicing this method of criticism often focuses on reviving and discussing a little-known writing or anecdote, making the resuscitated document the center piece in an analysis of a more famous Early Modern text. Such a writer also attempts to show that history does not simply influence texts, but that texts influence history. This book is the ultimate New Historicist tale, written with the same style as the criticism, but less obscure.
The Swerve does not simply explore the profound implications of the poem on history, though; those fascinating and ultimately convincing details that show where exactly the text influences writers and thinkers lie in the back 80 pages of the book. The first 180 pages of this book, barring the anecdote discussed at the beginning of this review, involve historical context: the world in which Lucretius wrote "On The Nature of Things," the tragedy of lost texts in the ancient Roman world, the Christian attempt to smother the Epicurean philosophy, information about the humanists, bibliomanic monks copying old texts, the nature of printed scrolls at the time Poggio rediscovered Lucretius, Poggio's life as a secretary to a corrupt pope. Though these details sometimes seem tangential, Greenblatt consistently manages to connect his commentary to the initial anecdote of Poggio's journey, using the information to paint a powerful story.
If this kind of world isn't compelling to you, there are still other reasons to read this fine pop-New-Historicist accomplishment. For one thing, Greenblatt showcases some gorgeous prose; in describing, for example, why Poggio may have been grasped by old texts, it was because they "were not texts but human voices." He also manages to find and exploit a great deal of humor during the course of weaving his story, referring to the corrupt anti-pope as a "thug, but a learned thug."
Aside from his elegant prose and wit, Greenblatt also frequently makes use of his powerful imagination. Because of the rampant absence of information on his subject, Greenblatt is often forced to conjecture about the details of his story. The reader frequently notices words like "perhaps" and "could" and "might have been" peppering his work. The constant speculation, far from revealing a lack of research, makes the reader remember how little history has been preserved, and how important the imagination is in any work of writing.
But perhaps the most interesting aspect of this book, and the biggest reason you should read it, is the contagious enthusiasm that Greenblatt has for all things literary. He writes with not only passion, but with unstoppable love for and fascination with his subject. In an interview with Charlie Rose about the book, Greenblatt mentioned, with a smile, that he was thrilled to have learned on Amazon that Lucretius was, briefly, the third best-selling poet in America. You could tell that this kind of resurrection was his dream all along.
Recommendation: Definitely read it. Or read anything by Greenblatt, for that matter, especially if you're looking for inspiration for writing an academic essay.
Booking It: Stephen Greenblatt's 'The Swerve'
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