FROM DAWN TO DECADENCE The Twentieth Century

Literary critic Jacques Barzun ought to know the twentieth century; he lived through most of it. In these selections from his brilliant book covering "500 Years of Western Cultural Life," he analyzes and critiques artistic, philosophical, political, and literary trends beginning in 1885 and continuing to 2000. As he deconstructs everything from cubism to cyberculture, Marxism, modernism, and even deconstructionism, listeners may find themselves frequently hitting rewind to catch the minutiae of Barzun's insights. Edward Herrmann gives clarity and just the right degree of erudition to this witty, well-written summary of a century. S.E.S. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 01]