Gibbon = Everest

I noticed today that Lynn S (of the blog "A Sweet, Familiar Dissonance") just posted that she had now got through the complete text of Gibbon's Decline and Fall (online, no less!), after a two- or three-year process...And that, in itself, is evidence enough of Classical influence on the modern world.  But her direct inspiration, a post at Pejmanesque, gives Gibbon even more glory and relevance:

But beyond dry wit and well-placed insults, Gibbon's work stands out because it is so relevant to our world today. The collapse of empire is a subject of much debate in the United States--what with various commentators and pundits assuring us that we will go the way of the Romans quite soon. Gibbon tells us what the crumbling of an empire really is and what it means--in sumptuous detail. In discussing the empire of the Romans, Gibbon lends perspective to geopolitical arguments of today. We can use his analysis as a starting point--the definitive discussion on how a world power may reach its nadir, and may ultimately see its power dissipate.

So there you go...