Matthews Roy T., Platt F. DeWitt. The Western Humanities

3rd edition. — Mountain View, California, Mayfield Publishing Company, 1997. — 616 p.In The Western Humanities, we address this problem (the problem of relating a work of art or literature to a specific time or place or to other artistic works) by placing the cultural achievements of the Western tradition in their historical context. We discuss not only the works that were produced in successive periods but the prevailing historical and material conditions that so powerfully influenced their form and content. Our intention is to demystify the cultural record by showing that literature and the arts do not spring forth spontaneously and independently of each other but reflect a set of specific historical circumstances. By providing this substantial context, out of which both ideas and artifacts emerge emerge, we hope to give students a deeper understanding of the meaning of cultural works and a broader basis for appreciating the humanities.