The Swerve: How The World Became Modern

107 Words1 Pages
The rediscovery of Lucretius’ De rerum natura is considered to be one of the most contingent turning points of modern history. From its enlightened birth circa 55 BC- to its unearthing in the medieval Germany by humanist and book hunter, Poggio Bracciolini- the De rerum natura’s very existence is a miracle. In the Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Swerve: How the World Became Modern, Harvard humanities professor Stephen Greenblatt offers not only an explanation of Lucretius’ poem and its origins in Epicurus, but also explains the threat that De rerum natura posed to Catholic theology, and Lucretius’ influence on later philosophers, from Thomas More to Thomas Jefferson.