Stephen Greenblatt: The Swerve: How the World Became Modern

Hour 2

A 15^th Century ‘book hunter’ ordered an ancient, forgotten poem lost in a monastery, to be copied. This work was considered dangerous at the time, as it questioned the role of religion in society. Our guest, STEPHEN GREENBLATT, writes the long-term effects of the circulation of Lucretius’ “On the Nature of Things” shaped the minds of Galileo, Darwin, Freud and Einstein in his new book, “The Swerve: How the World Became Modern.” Greenblatt is the general editor of The Norton Shakespeare and the author of “Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare.”

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[audio: 092211_110630.mp3]