The Age of Genius: The Seventeenth Century and the Birth of the Modern Mind, A. C. Grayling

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Grayling makes clear in the introduction to this book that the main argument of it is that the change in the mind of Europeans that occurred in the seventeenth century was greater than any that had occurred in all history beforehand, that it was a period that saw the triumph of reason over religion. He uses as an example of this radical shift in mindset the reaction to Shakespeare’s Macbeth, which received its first performance in 1606, where the expectation was that the audience would see the murdering of a king as against the laws of nature. Yet by 1649 Charles I of England was executed with a huge crowd as witness. To make this possible, he argues, there must have been a radical change in the collective mind. This is not a new view point, and one that has been largely discredited by historians in recent decades, yet for those of us who are reading the book for pleasure, not immersed in the debates of historians, it feels convincing. I admit I may have been more easily swayed for having been at a talk he gave when the book came out. He is an enigmatic speaker and the ideas he presented felt fascinating.

Undoubtedly the seventeenth century was a period of great thinkers and new ideas. It was also a time of great military upheaval. Grayling dedicates a decent chunk of the book to discussing the conflicts that occurred during this time period, and particularly the Thirty Years War. He does mention that if you’re less interested in military history you can skip this section. I didn’t, and although details of battles are not my main area of interest, it is important to understand the rest of the activities of the age in relation to the wider political stage. War, after all, is often a catalyst for invention and progress. Grayling highlights this by remarking how different the world and technology looked between the start of the Second World War and the end.

The characters you’d expect to find are within these pages - Locke, Descartes, Galileo, and Newton to name but a few, but also some (perhaps) less well known names. The passages about Marin Mersenne explain how he was at the centre of sharing ideas, and we then move on to early forms of a postal service. Reading this in a world of constant connectivity it is interesting to take some time to think more deeply about how ideas were spread and shared before the technology that makes information so easily accessible. 

Grayling is a proud atheist and at times there are hints of disdain for religion, somewhat ignoring the fact that religious thought wasn’t entirely replaced by the seeming rise of reason. Overall though, this is an interesting book if you’re interested in the development of thought in the seventeenth century. The idea that the way the human mind understood the world completely changed during this period may be an exaggeration but certainly it was a period of huge discoveries and theories. We learn mostly about them through the eyes of the intellectual elite rather than the general public so it’s hard to gauge exactly how much general thought did shift away from religion and belief based systems to ones based in logic. If you’re an avid reader of histories from this period you’ll likely find lots of holes to pick in this book, but for the general reader it is full of interesting history. 

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Upon A Frosted Star, M.A. Kuzniar

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Forster, a young aspiring artist who is estranged from his family, is spending his birthday with his flatmate and close friend Marvin and Rose when they discover invitations to the most eagerly anticipated party of the year. At a manor nestled deep in the woods in Wurthercliffe, these parties are full of extravagant luxuries and magic. The hostess is a mysterious ballerina whose name nobody knows. Inevitably, Forster falls for her and it is not long before he realises she is living a cursed life, condemned to spending most of her days in the form of a swan, snowfall releasing her back to her human form. The main story takes place in the 1920s but we have forays into a time a decade earlier where Detta is finding her way as a star ballerina in Rothbart’s intriguing company. Their performances are what we would now call immersive, with magical interventions bringing the stories to life. It’s not all fun and games however, the dancers are for the most part afraid of Rothbart and we see Detta struggle with the knowledge she should leave yet her ambition keeps her dancing for him, not wanting to have to build back up to principal dancer elsewhere. Knowing what her future holds, you long for her to leave but know that she won’t. Will Forster’s love for her be enough to undo the curse?

Taking Swan Lake as its inspiration, this novel explores familiar characters, building them new stories. Detta loses her family in a tragic accident, which she narrowly avoids herself. Taking the opportunity to build a new life she goes in search of her dancing dreams. She works hard and excels, but is always unsettled by Rothbart’s presence. He is controlling - the dancers all have to live together under his roof, and when they’re on tour they are not allowed to speak to others outside the company. Dancers go missing regularly with no explanation, and Detta is aware of him lurking outside her bedroom door at night. She fears for her safety, and he becomes more dangerous as time passes. The magic tricks he includes in his shows he keeps from the dancers until the first performance, allowing their reactions to be genuine, but more than that, he seems to enjoy their terror which is increasingly the response to his ever more elaborate creations. There is one particularly painful scene to read when Detta goes looking for a missing dancer who she was close to. We as the reader know that Rothbart has murdered her in front of Detta but she is completely unaware, as well as the implications of his actions for her own future. Rothbart is largely absent from the 1920s sections of the novel, with Forster’s main purpose to be to try and find him and convince him to free Detta from his curse. The earlier passages are important to build up his character and the reader’s feelings about his actions. Otherwise he would merely be an absent enemy without much for the reader to engage with.

Forster is a young adult trying to find his way. His father has recently died and the cruel words spoken by his mother haunt his days. Living in London with Marvin he has found a new family, but the pain of his blood ties linger. His artwork has not made any great waves, and although he has an art dealer representing him he hasn’t produced anything very special. All this changes when he attends his first party at Wurthercliffe. Enchanted by Detta and the fantasy world she weaves with her parties, he paints canvas after canvas inspired by her and the art world responds positively. His main purpose however is to stay devoted to Detta, and, in the months where snow is no longer possible, to go in search of Rothbart. This lag in time for each step of the story to progress does mean there are times where you feel not much has happened for a while, but that you’re enjoying the experience nonetheless.

In Forster we see two great passions. The way his experience of creativity is described brings to life the drive artists have to create, and the pain of not being able to accomplish the vision in your mind. His other great passion, of course, is Detta. Their relationship is sweet if predictable. He tries to be faithful to what she wants to share with him, yet finds himself at times trying to find out more than she has disclosed. He accepts the reality of magic and a woman who spends most of her time living as a swan very easily. The pain at their separation and the desperation for the snow to fall, bringing her return to him, are realistically drawn and you do feel for them. We don’t fully understand what the time passing is like for Detta however. At times it seems she has no thought of her human life while in swan form, yet she also seems to continue to be drawn to Forster, suggesting there is some lingering recognition. 

The 1920s setting is fairly incidental for the most part. When Forster spends some time in Paris and we are reminded of the period he is living through and the great creatives populating Europe at the time it feels surprising. The story doesn’t feel rooted in the 1920s, and certainly the descriptions of his artwork do not sound as though he is influenced by the art movements making waves at the time. Kuzniar’s writing does not feel particularly natural, possibly as an attempt to write and have the characters speak as she imagines people did in the 20s. The result is that you’re very aware that you’re reading somebody’s writing, you don’t lose yourself in the world and conversations. In saying that, I did enjoy the book as a whole and found it to be a page turner at times, especially in the latter sections as Forster drew closer to Rothbart. There are interesting themes around aspirations and accomplishments, the drama and difficulty of young adult friendships which feel as important as family, and indeed the tricky navigation of relationships with parents as you grow and develop your own views and desires. Overall, an atmospheric, magical tale that’s great to read during the colder months.

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