Western culture; which influenced the whole world; came from Europe. But its roots are not there. They are in Athens and Jerusalem. European culture takes its bearing from references that are not in Europe: Europe is eccentric.What makes the West unique? What is the driving force behind its culture? Remi Brague takes up these questions in Eccentric Culture. This is not another dictionary of European culture; nor a measure of the contributions of a particular individual; religion; or national tradition. The author's interest is especially; with regard to the transmission of that culture; to articulate the dynamic tension that has propelled Europe and more generally the West toward civilization. It is this mainspring of European culture; this founding principle; that Brague calls Roman.Yet the author's intent is not to write a history of Europe; and less yet to defend the historical reality of the Roman Empire. Brague rather isolates and generalizes one aspect of that history or; one might say; cultural myth; of ancient Rome. The Roman attitude senses its own incompleteness and recognizes the call to borrow from what went before it.Historically; it has led the West to borrow from the great traditions of Jerusalem and Athens: primarily the Jewish and Christian tradition; on the one hand; and the classical Greek tradition on the other. Nowhere does the author find this Roman character so strongly present as in the Christian and particularly Catholic attitude toward the incarnation.At once an appreciation of the richness and diversity of the sources and their fruit; Eccentric Culture points as well to the fragility of their nourishing principle. As such; Brague finds in it notonly a means of understanding the past; but of projecting a future in (re)proposing to the West; and to Europe in particular; a model relationship of what is proper to it.An international bestseller (translated from the original French edition of Europe; La Voie Romaine); this work has been or is presently being translated into thirteen languages.
#3678521 in Books 2002-03-04 2002-03-04Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.36 x .83 x 6.22l; #File Name: 1585421332224 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. TITLE IS MSLEADNG.By Joyce L. NelsonI this to be about the woman in the title. She sounds merely peripheral to the story about surviving a winter in extreme conditions; rather than the heroine of the story. She chewed the skins to make clothing for the group and all but we didn't really get to know her.Good story about the hardships of the people trying to find out what happened to the Franklin party and what it takes to survive extreme conditions; but not much about the Inuit woman..3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. "Her intent was the driving force"By Friederike KnabeAfter greatly enjoying Steven Heighton's captivating novel Afterlands: A Novel; I was intrigued to find Sheila Nickerson's MIDNIGHT TO THE NORTH; a book that sets out to tell "The Untold Story of the Inuit Woman Who Saved the POLARIS Expedition" (as stated in the book's subtitle). Tookoolito (Hannah) and her husband Ebierbing (Joe) had traveled back and forth from their home territory on Baffin Island (Canada) to England and later to North America as interpreters; Arctic survival guides and food hunters; and also to assist with the promotion of Arctic explorations. Last but not least they were of great interest as a source for any clues concerning survivors of the failed Franklin expedition (1845-48). Captain Charles Francis Hall; obsessed with these topics; and having encountered both Inuit at a young age; included them in all of his exploration missions. When not on ships or on icy lands; the couple and their adopted daughter Punny settled in Groton; Connecticut.Award winning author and poet Sheila Nickerton's special interest in Tookoolito is part of a wider theme: the plight of Inuit women; whose essential and substantial contributions for English and American explorers' survival in the Arctic was either totally ignored or considerably minimized. The author concentrates on the story of this particular young woman; because she figured more clearly in the historical records than others. Her primary source is first and foremost Polaris Captain Hall's extensive accounts on his various expeditions; providing a detailed portrait of the Inuit couple over several decades. He led the failed Polaris expedition (1872-73) until his death on ship in 1872. To these reports Nickerson adds Lt. George Tyson's field notes and his subsequently published book on his experience on the Polaris and later on; when he took charge of part of the crew on an ice floe; separated from the vessel and drifting for more than six months in the icy waters. This group included Tookoolito and Ebierbing. However; Lt. George Tyson scarcely mentioned Hannah in his account of the crew's survival.Nickerson is fully aware of the unreliability of historical sources; using the image of a lens or magnifying glass to explain: "Tip the magnifying glass slightly and the terrain of words shifts as if by tectonic upheaval[...]Add time; and the record wears away; ridge after ridge crumbling until finally there is nothing left but stardust."From such unreliable sources; quoted throughout her book; it is difficult to perceive how Nickerson could create anything like a solid image of her heroine. It appears that her assessment may have been based more on hope and her general knowledge of Inuit women's lives than on the sources cited. For example; for her strong statement that Tookoolito "became for the floe what her people would have called a *tormaq*; an invisible ruler or guiding spirit..." and that Tookoolito's intent was "to be the driving force"; Nickerson does not present any evidence that would confirm this contention. By contrast; in her condensed; yet comprehensive portrayal of the fate of numerous expeditions around the period between 1845 and 1890; and using a wide variety of sources; she emphasizes the importance of local knowledge that the (male) Inuit hunters provided and men's vital role in ensuring the ongoing food supply.In the middle of the book; Nickerson links her personal story to with that of her research into Tookoolito's life; seeing herself on a different kind of "floe"; concerned about her mother's deteriorating condition. While in other contexts this comparison might be useful; it does not appear to have any role here. There are smaller issues one can quibble with in this account as it floats between a research project and a fictional story of a heroine who may not have been as "heroic" in the described circumstances as the reader is initially led to believe. Nevertheless; the book is an enjoyable read and introduction to the fascinating history of Northern explorations. The author's style is fluid and at times poetic. [Friederike Knabe]2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Misled by the titleBy Bruce in TorontoA bit of betwixed and between on the evaluation of this book. Well written; and a good read. Well researched. Tells its story well with the occassional tangent to explain the science or story behind the event; or the implication for future events. A few references to Inuit lore to tie the story together.But the promise of the title to tell the story of how Tookoolito "saved" the other eighteen sailors abandoned on an iceflow for six and a half months; is unfulfilled. The story of Tookoolito could fill about a dozen pages of the book. She also spends a lot of time speculating as to what Tookoolito might have done or felt. But her actions while of the ice flow were to try and keep their shelter clean. The hunting was done by her husband; the real hero. Spends a lot of time making parallels to her dying mother who if an Inuit would have been put out on the ice flow or enclosed in an exitless igloo. Instead; extensive and expensive medical treatments are given.If the book had been better subtitled; I'd feel better about a three star rating.
