A Short History of England
Gilbert Keith Chesterton was a prolific writer on many topics. His views of history were always from the standpoint of men and their interactions, and it may fairly be said he saw all of history as a battle between civilization and barbarism. So it has always been, and that remains true even today.
"But it is especially in the matter of the Middle Ages that the popular histories trample upon the popular traditions. In this respect there is an almost comic contrast between the general information provided about England in the last two or three centuries, in which its present industrial system was being built up, and the general information given about the preceding centuries, which we call broadly medieval."
As this quotation taken from the Introduction clearly shows, he is no mere pedant reciting dry dates and locations, but a profound thinker flooding new light onto those modern "myths" that have filled our histories. He is a master of paradox, and the technique of reducing his opponents' arguments to the logical absurdity they have inherent in them. He often turns them upside down. All of which makes his work both a sound subject for reflection and highly entertaining all the while it remains permanently timely.
(Summary by Ray Clare)
Genre(s): Middle Ages/Middle History
Language: English
Section | Chapter | Reader | Time |
---|---|---|---|
Play 01 | Introduction | Ray Clare |
00:08:18 |
Play 02 | The Province of Britain | Ray Clare |
00:22:11 |
Play 03 | The Age of Legends | Ray Clare |
00:18:04 |
Play 04 | The Defeat of the Barbarians | Ray Clare |
00:21:31 |
Play 05 | St Edward & the Norman Kings | Ray Clare |
00:25:30 |
Play 06 | The Age of the Crusades | Ray Clare |
00:23:03 |
Play 07 | The Problem of the Plantagenets | Ray Clare |
00:25:27 |
Play 08 | The Meaning of Merry England | Ray Clare |
00:32:05 |
Play 09 | Nationality & the French Wars | Ray Clare |
00:25:05 |
Play 10 | The War of the Usurpers | Ray Clare |
00:23:20 |
Play 11 | The Rebellion of the Rich | Ray Clare |
00:30:00 |
Play 12 | Spain & the Schism of Nations | Ray Clare |
00:20:14 |
Play 13 | The Age of the Puritains | Ray Clare |
00:27:16 |
Play 14 | The Triumph of the Whigs | Ray Clare |
00:26:47 |
Play 15 | The War with the Great Republics | Ray Clare |
00:23:42 |
Play 16 | Aristocracy & the Discontents | Ray Clare |
00:24:21 |
Play 17 | The Return of the Barbarian | Ray Clare |
00:26:32 |
Play 18 | Conclusion | Ray Clare |
00:07:23 |