hist's Full Review: Frank McLynn - Marcus Aurelius: A Life
I have to admit that I felt a bit intimidated by Frank McLynn's Marcus Aurelius: A Life. At 550+ pages, plus 100+ pages of notes, it is a hefty tome. That, and McLynn's previous book, Richard and John, was extremely interesting while also being very dry and hard to get through. And it was shorter! Still, my continuing interest in many things Roman made me decide to pick it up. Much like the previous book, McLynn made me both happy and sad that I had made that choice.
The first thing I have to say about the book is that it's extremely detailed and well-researched. There are 120-200 notes in every chapter giving the source for various passages in the book. Many of them are from Aurelius' own writings, the Meditations; still others are from the Historia Augusta, a relatively contemporary (within a couple hundred years of Marcus' life) or from various other histories written at the time. He uses letters written by Marcus to his mentor, Cornelius Fronto, and letters between Marcus and other philosophers or tutors. There is a lot of original sourcing in the book, though I don't know about the strengths of these sources, never having studied them in any great depth. The copious notes do add some authority to McLynn's writing, however.
Unlike some history books, where the notes are only important to give you the author's source, McLynn uses some of the notes to expand on the point raised in the main narrative, making it important to at least periodically glance at the notes, all of which are at the back of the book. Thankfully, they're numbered notes, or I wouldn't have bothered. I tended to have one bookmark in the notes section and one denoting where I currently was in the reading of the book.
The problem with Marcus Aurelius, however, is that it seems very bloated for what is supposed to be a biography (at least that's what the subtitle "a Life" means to me). McLynn spends a lot of time at the beginning of the book giving the reader a primer on stoicism (the main area of philosophy that Marcus espoused), going on for what seems like 100 pages about it. He does use examples of Marcus' writings as well as his debates or disagreements with other philosophers to illustrate his points, but I don't believe we need such an in-depth study of the philosophy in order to understand how Marcus thought. What's even worse is that the first appendix is even more about it!
Further to that, there are instances like Marcus' wars against the German tribes. McLynn isn't content to just give a brief overview of the history of Roman wars with these Germans to set up Marcus' actions. He gives an extremely detailed account of these wars dating back to Julius Caesar, which is about 300 years. McLynn also does this with Roman life while Marcus was growing up, giving a detailed history of Rome under Antoninus Pius (Marcus' adopted father), giving great detail about how the Roman society and economy worked and a (thankfully) briefer history of Roman interaction with (and occasional persecution of) Christianity. Basically, the book often seems like a history of Rome rather than a biography of Marcus. It doesn't help that the second appendix is an even more detailed history of Rome under Pius.
Much like Richard and John, McLynn's writing style can be hard to get through sometimes though the information he provides is extremely interesting. Paragraphs are sometimes a page long or more, the information contained within very valuable but the prose working against the reader trying to actually get through it. I found my pace through the book was plodding along, like sowing a field of grain by hand: you know the results are going to be worth it, but what a chore to actually do it.
That's ultimately why I give Marcus Aurelius a middle-of-the-road grade. The information within is fascinating stuff. I was startled when Marcus died with 100 pages still left in the main narrative, but McLynn also gives us how Marcus has affected human thought throughout the ages, even up to the modern day. He addresses the impact Marcus made, not just at the time he lived, but in future generations when his writings were rediscovered. Once I was finished with the book, I was very happy that I had made my way through it.
It's unfortunate that it has to be such a struggle to get through, because it's definitely worth the trip. Marcus was an intriguing man, with his writings sometimes contradicting the policies he put forth as emperor when the realities of Roman existence conflicted with the philosophy he tried to follow. Many loved him. Many others hated him. Sadly for the Empire, he left it in the care of his psychotic and paranoid son, and thus the Empire's downfall began.
Critically acclaimed author McLynn pens this masterful and long-overdue biography of Marcus Aurelius, whose life as a philosopher, soldier, and empero...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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