The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

::This is about the book. For the historical event see Decline of the Roman Empire

Gibbon's use of citations

Gibbon provides the reader with a glimpse of his thought process with extensive notes along the body of the text, a precursor to the modern use of footnotes. Gibbon's footnotes are famous for their idiosyncrasies. They provide an entertaining moral commentary on both Ancient Rome and Great Britain during the Eighteenth Century. However, these whimsical asides also serve as a literary device for Gibbon. This technique enabled Gibbon to play a dual role as a novelist and a historian with a voice of authority, comparing Ancient Rome to modern times. Gibbon's work advocates a rationalist and progressive view of history. It is impartial in terms of the Enlightenment concept of reason, and viewed in this perspective, it is as much a historical culture of the eighteenth century as it is of Ancient Rome.

Related Topics:
Rome - Great Britain - Rationalist - The Enlightenment

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Gibbon's citations provide in-depth detail regarding his use of sources for his work on Ancient Rome. What made Gibbon unique was his use of primary sources, original documents dating back to Ancient Rome. The enormous archive of detail within his asides and his obsession with noting the importance of each document is a precursor to modern day historical footnoting methodology. As a writer, Gibbon could only reconstruct his version of the past through his own translations in order to present an accurate portrayal of events.

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