Jason Carr
September 18, 1993

Margaret Aston.  The Fifteenth Century:  the prospect of Europe. 
New York, W. W. Norton and Co., 1968.  Pp. 216.


Aston's work is a surprisingly holistic introduction to the
fifteenth century social milieu.  This shotgun approach to
history in a primer of limited length may be criticized for
lacking in certain areas that more modern historians are prone to
obsess over (there is no attention paid to the economics or
society of the lower orders).  It must be remembered, however,
that the work is some twenty-five years old and should not be
expected to conform to the current trends.
      Ashton's most interesting discussion, from the viewpoint of
the student of intellectual history, comes in the sections on the
far-reaching (and interrelated) effects of the practical printing
press, the development of courier systems, and the evolving
relationship of the laity to their church.  One of Aston's chief
strengths is her inter-relating of ideas to each other.  The
threads of intellectual development, the effects of Gutenburg's
invention, and the revolution in lay religion run all through her
work, giving the reader a sense that there is some real pattern
to the century.  Although illustrations are often derided as
bones thrown to students of limited abilities, the constant
visual reinforcement offered by Ashton serves to better inform
the reader of pre-Renaissance reality.  Postmodern students are
creatures who thrive on huge amounts of visual information.  They
process the flash-edited barrage of images and force some
structure on the subject at hand.  It is this new generation of
student who can more fully appreciate a well-selected series of
illustrations.
      Aston's emphasis on intellectual matters is enjoyable for
many, but more determinist-minded students may consider some of
the more arcane topics, such as the courier systems, a
spectacular waste of time but these investigations are necessary
to the more complete understanding of what it felt like to live
in those times.  While leaning towards intellectual history,
Aston strikes a healthy balance by keeping tabs on more mundane
matters like technological advances in ship rigging.  Still,
Aston's bias toward the mental environment is justified and may
even represent the key to understanding fifteenth-century
culture.  The relative success of radicals like Hus and Savronola
makes no sense unless the reader is made aware of the way the
laity was learning to question (more intelligently) the teachings
of the clergy.
      When Ashton finally gets around to what she deems the
Renaissance proper the reader is in the last section of the book. 
Aston sees the "Renaissance" as a usurper, the prettier sister
who gets far too much attention.  The setting, the substructure,
for the Renaissance becomes as important (if not more so) than
the movement itself.  The Renaissance becomes (to maul Edmund
Burke) a Corithian capital, a conspicuous ornament capping off
the freestanding structure of fifteenth century European
civilization.  
      The Renaissance, as overhyped and overexposed as it may be
to new students not some freestanding, tidy period but a gradual
development out of fertile pre-Renaissance soil.


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