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new form of selfhood sentimental (p. 164), and char- examines, but I was left wondering what Voskuhl might
acterizes it as an essential element of the movement have said about the other eight. It would have been in-
from a social structure dominated by courtly mores to teresting to know exactly what emotive qualities they
one that was more democratic. The way this transpired, lacked in comparison to the two she chose. Also, given
according to Voskuhl, was that [c]ivil society, made up that she bases her thesis on the rise of sentiment as a
of rational, sensible, and equal citizens, was meant to key underpinning of both the art and society of the En-
replace the traditional estate and court societies and be lightenment, it would have been beneficial to see more
held together and sustained by, among other things, and wider references not just to modern commentators
cultivated and shared sentiments (p. 7). These female on this philosophical shift, as Voskuhl gives us in chap-
automataone that plays a harpsichord and one that ter 4, but also to philosophers of the time who discuss
plays a dulcimerreflected and were reflected in this it. In terms of the general artistic philosophy of the
transition chiefly because of the bodily movements that time, for example, she could have noted Friedrich Schil-
were programmed into them by their makers. As lers 1795 essay On Nave and Sentimental Poetry; or
Voskuhl shows in the central chapters of her book, even William Wordsworths preface to the second edi-
these bodily movements mapped directly onto methods tion (1800) of Lyrical Ballads, where he famously cham-
for playing instruments prescribed by music manuals of pions poetic art as the spontaneous overflow of pow-
the time, which in turn descended from the dawning erful feelings. But these reservations do not detract
social and cultural expectations for publicly expressing from the fact that this book is a genuine and important
four world empires. The historicity of Alexanders visit tered discussion of the role of Alexander in eighteenth-
to Jerusalem is brilliantly exploited by Briant to present century narratives of Greek history, the eighteenth-
how textual criticism and debates on the nature and cri- century prehistory of Johann Gustav Droysens reeval-
teria of historical truth ultimately destabilized both the uation of Alexander, and the Hellenistic period as a ma-
magistra vitae approach as well as sacred history. Once jor stage of world history. This book should be read
these became major issues of discussion, the history of widely not only by historians of Ancient Greece, but
Alexander provides an important battleground. Not also by anyone interested in eighteenth-century histo-
only is there no contemporary account of Alexander, riography and political thought.
since all ancient accounts date from centuries later, but KOSTAS VLASSOPOULOS
those accounts also present deeply divergent perspec- University of Nottingham
tives. Briant shows how these debates culminated in the
publication of Guillaume-Emmanuel-Joseph-Guilhem ANGELA BYRNE. Geographies of the Romantic North: Sci-
de Clermont-Lode`ve, baron de Sainte-Croixs Examen ence, Antiquarianism, and Travel, 17901830. (Palgrave
critique des anciens historiens dAlexandre-le-grand Studies in Cultural and Intellectual History.) New
(1775), the most profound work on Alexander in the York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. Pp. xiv, 265. $85.00.
eighteenth century. But Sainte-Croixs work was not
merely a specialists source-critical study; it was also a In recent years, there has been an increasing movement
contribution to some of the major eighteenth-century toward seeing the idea of the North as a larger, trans-