The Cultural History of the Western World

A tendency towards segmentation is the primary drawback of this pleasant but unexceptional collection of six hour-long British programs that, taken together, offer an introduction to Western culture from the Medieval period through the 19th century. Each of the 50-minute episodes—The Medieval World, The Renaissance, The Baroque, The Age of Reason, The Age of Revolution, and A New Vision: Impressionism—is divided into relatively short sections looking at individual writers, artists, or composers. Occasionally, particular historical events are discussed—the Crusades, the attempted invasion of England by “the young pretender” Charles Edward Stuart in the 18th century, the American Revolution, and the British suffragette movement—but the choices seem arbitrary and the material is not well integrated. The result is a series that's nicely illustrated but plays rather like a cinematic textbook, with thumbnail sketches of important figures and cultural movements tied together in perfunctory fashion. The commentary is generally sound, if somewhat bland; when actor Brian Blessed shows up in the final episode to introduce the poetry of World War I (chronologically the most recent material covered—the 20th century is largely ignored), his exuberant delivery provides a strong contrast to those (mostly academics) preceding him. While this set is not without insight and instructional value (and it's solid technically), the curiously haphazard structure detracts, making this a strong optional purchase. Aud: H, C, P. (F. Swietek)