Review of 'The Shock of the Ancient: Literature and History in Early Modern France' By Larry F. Norman. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2011. vii + 288 pages.

Abstract

Larry F. Norman's book provides a balanced and well-organized examination of the literary and artistic debate, known as the "Quarrel of the Ancients and Moderns," that took place in France officially from 1687 to 1716. The title of the book is an excellent attention-grabber. The text is a detailed account of the exchange of differing ideas that contributed significantlv to reshaping historical and aesthetic perspectives. Norman takes issue with the name of the debate itself, "quarrel," arguing that the term fails to convey the range and depth of the conflict. Moreover, the pairing of "ancients and moderns" in the title of the debate does similar iniustice, he maintains, to the complexities of the opposing camps. In a lucid and refreshingly witty writing style that charactertzes the book, Norman asserts that the pairing "conjures up the kind of reductive rivalry associated with a beauty contest". The author effectively dispels this notion, demonstrating the awareness of both parties of the similar views that they shared regarding the foreignness of antiquity.