Author Jon Savage is best noted for writing what many consider to be the definitive history of punk rock- "England's Dreaming" (personally, I prefer GAuthor Jon Savage is best noted for writing what many consider to be the definitive history of punk rock- "England's Dreaming" (personally, I prefer Greil Marcus's "Lipstick Traces".) In "Teenage"- his new book- he gets all ambitious. Teenage is a straight forward social history of what Savage calls "the creation of youth culture." One of the facts i learned this book, was that socialologist/philosopher Talcott Parsons coined the term "youth culture" in 1943.
I think this book is a must read for professionals in the culture industries- journalists, music industry folks, etc. The 450 page length is a tad offputting, but the length is set off by the structure of the book: episodic, proceeding from the 1890s- to 1945 in chronological orders, most focusing on one specific youth cultures from the U.S., the U.K. or Germany (France is mostly absent, along with Italy, Austria and Spain).
Generally speaking, Savage explicates his (fairly non-controversial) thesis that the industrial revolution stimulated the consciousness of youth as a class (by getting them into the work force early, creating more leisure time on a society wide basis, and weakening the relationship between children and their parents) and that "Youth" emerged in the mid 1920s as the most powerful "demographic" of western market capitalism.
Not a very novel set of ideas- I think most would already "know" the above paragraph to be true at some innate level. The devil, of course, is in the details, and it is Savage's work with the primary sources of each particular era which elevates this work from tedious pop history to a must read classic.
Working with the same careful eye for detail that marked his other work, Savage mines the detrius of low and middle brow culture (with the occasional shout out to contemporary academics and artists) with the skilled eye of a grizzled prospector.
Savage starts off in the 1890s- the earliest chapters are the weakest. The apogee, as far as Savage is concerned is in the 20's:
"The youth movement of the 1920s had been all too scucesful in creating their own discrete worlds. In doing so, they had reminded manufactuers, governments, and ideologues that youth comprised a social force that was far too important to be left to be left on its own."
The next 10 chapters mainly deal with Hitler and his fondness for youth culture(!). Indeed, in Savage's analysis, Hitler's succesful appeal to youth was key in his rise to power within Germany. Hitler, it turns out was a fan of American advertising guru Bernays. Whether the goal is social control or consumer capitalism, the techniques, all too often, are the same. It's hard to read the Hitler Youth chapters without thinking a little bit about some of the common characteristics of youth culture. Specifically, the thought that youth, unburdened by experience- are quick to embrace extreme ideas and have little patience for ideas that invovle gradualness or delayed gratificiation.
One of the intriguing inferences one can draw from this book is that- because of the tight relationship of industrialism and consumer captialism to "youth culture"- it's almost fair to say "youth market" instead of "youth culture." In other words- "youth culture" effectively doesn't exist in the absence of consumer driven market capitalism. Think about it.
Savage leaves many of the bolder inferences the reader can draw from this book unstated. The lack of any kind of theoretical explication makes "Teenage" an enjoyable read....more
As a non-Mormon who finds the story of Mormonism compelling, I don't understand what the fuss over this book is about. Krakauer is not writing as a seAs a non-Mormon who finds the story of Mormonism compelling, I don't understand what the fuss over this book is about. Krakauer is not writing as a serious historian, he's writing as a popular author. Obviously, if you want to get closer to the "real" truth of Mormonism, whatever your perspective, you're going to have to read more then this book, and the author tells you that. After I read this book, I read Fawn Brodie's biography of Joseph Smith, and well, if you think this book is controversial, you ain't seen nothing. And Brodie's book was published in 1954! Mormonism was created, by Joseph Smith, to be a sensationalistic kind of religion. Brodie even refers to the temple ritual as a "mystery cult", and the ritual was itself reformed back in 1990. I think you can meaure the power of idea by seeing how often people go to extremes to defend their conception of the idea. That doesn't mean the extremist are right or that the idea is bad, it's just a testament to the POWER of that idea. ...more
Well, I'm not a scholar on Mormonism, nor a Mormon, so I think my perspective is a little different then the detailed reviews below. I read this book Well, I'm not a scholar on Mormonism, nor a Mormon, so I think my perspective is a little different then the detailed reviews below. I read this book because after I read "Under the Banner of Heaven" by Krakauer, I was like, yeah, Mormonism is interesting. This book is THE book to read if you want a clear picture of Joseph Smith.
Of course, people nit-pick, but I know an engaging, well-written book when I read one, and this is an engaging, well-written book.
Some of the chapters I like best included her documentation of the "Great Revival" and how that influenced Smith as a child; her portrait of the young Joseph Smith is amazingly interesting; and her documentation between the establishment of the temple ritual and Smith's fascination and free masonry.
I think the less interesting (and likely less historically accurate) information comes during her coverage of the Nauvoo fights over polygamy and exocommunication. That doesn't detract from the excellence of the book.
Writing history is a subjective experience, anybody looking for objective truth from historical biography might as well stick to reading his or her bible. If you're interested in the life of Smith in a non-relgious sense, you might also enjoy the Cremaster cycle by Matthew Barney. Or that might totally freak you out.
The story of the life of Joseph Smith is as interesting as that of any early American one would think to name. I really would recommend this book to anybody looking to gain a better grasp of Mormonism.
You might also want to check out Mormon Country by Wallace Stegner. That book was commissioned by the WPA and is a fairly folksy and well written account of Mormon life in the early twentieth century. It is also readily and available and cheap.
Also, there's a whole sub-genre of Mormon true crime. Check out "Salamander", "The Prophet of Death" or "THe Poet and the Murderer". Not to mention the classic Norman Mailer book about Gary Gilmore "The Executioner's Song".
This is a problem I've noticed with trying to pick up books on Mormonism: they're pretty scarce and expensive. I guess that's a testament to the faith of the flock. ...more
Epic in both vision and execution, Braudel's "Stuctures of Civiliisation" turns your accustomed way of thinking about history up side down. In writingEpic in both vision and execution, Braudel's "Stuctures of Civiliisation" turns your accustomed way of thinking about history up side down. In writing his history of the world from the 14th to 18th centuries, Braudel eschews the personalities and events that fill the pages of most history. Instead, he focuses on the day-to-day lifes of normal (non-elite) in an attempt to compare and contrast the various civilisations, sub-civilisations and cultures of the world.
Although the chapter titles sound mundane (daily bread, food and drink, money, etc.) this book is not boring. Fully illustrated with maps, charts and paintings, Braudel creates a classic of history. Crucially, he also integrates teaching from fields like geography and economics. The over all effect of the work is breathtaking: it's no wonder that a quick googling of the author's name turns up university based institutes of inter-disciplinary study named after him on three (count them three!) continents.
On the negative side, well, the book is about twenty years old, so much of the research he uses has been updated. I don't think you can deny that the man is a little euro and franco centric (not that I have a problem with that, I don't.)
Over all, this is a path breaking work, and should be on the book shelve for all fans of world history. ...more
Marx's thesis, roughly stated, is that: Americans applied idea's developed about landscape in the old world to the landscape they discovered in the neMarx's thesis, roughly stated, is that: Americans applied idea's developed about landscape in the old world to the landscape they discovered in the new world. In doing so, the landscape became a "repository of value" (value meaning economic, spiritual, etc.). The main idea about the landscape that travelled with them from Europe was the idea of "pastoralism".
Pastorialism, roughly expressed, represents the yearning by civilised man to occupy the space in between "art" and "nature". Marx does an excellent job of explaining the pre-modern understanding of "art" (which is different then our modern understanding of the word). Marx also distinguishes the a "simple" conception of pastoralism with a "complex" conception. Using the writings of Jefferson, Marx argues that Americans were more comfortable with the idea of a "complex" pastoralism that acknowledged the conflict inherent in the occupation of a "middle landscape" between art and nature. Marx then attaches the concept of pastoralism to the symbol of the "garden" as representing a mediating space between art and nature (apply "arts" to "nature" and produce a garden).
After a further differentiation between the idea of the garden-as-continent vs. garden-as-garden, Marx moves on to the idea of the "machine".
What Marx means by the "machine" of the title is a relationship between culture and industry that was irrevocably altered by the industrial revolution. He details the attempts by writers to deal with the looming conflict between pastoralism and industrialization. Perhaps the most interesting portion of the book comes when Marx discusses the period when many saw NO conflict between the "machine" and the "garden".
However, the tour de force comes when Marx analyzes this conflict as it appears in the works of Emerson, Thoureau, Hawthorne, Melville and Fitzgerald.
Personally, I thought the analysis of Hawthorne's "Ethan Brand" was first rate.
Marx concludes by congratulating the authors he uses for "clarifying" the situation of Americans and noting that the ultimate resolution of the problem of the machine in the garden is not for writer's but for politicans.
In this way, the book is significantly more political then one might expect. It really belongs to the genre of "American Studies", even though my 1970's edition refers to it as belonging to "Literature".
Marx achieves greatness by tenaciously explpicating the troubled relationship between America and its technology. Although written in 1964, this book retains great relevance....more
No reviews for this book? Hard to believe given the number of used copies available. Surely many have read "Society of Captives"? Sykes uses the sociolNo reviews for this book? Hard to believe given the number of used copies available. Surely many have read "Society of Captives"? Sykes uses the sociological framework of Talcott Parsons to analyze the "life of prison" in terms of its effects on the inmates. Sykes was obviously a key reference point for Goffman's work in "Asylums". Sykes works around the idea of describing a maximum security prison as a "total institution", but fails to really nail the concept down.
He makes some interesting observations about the conflicting motives of guards on the front line of the prison. I found troubling his conclusion that the level of control sought to be imposed upon the prisoners was ever elusive. This seemed, to me, to be a justification for the behavior that goes on behind prison walls.
His interesting discussion of prison riot and rebellion prefigures some of Foucault's analysis in "Discipline and Punish". In fact, I picked up my copy of Discipline and Punish immediately after (and during) reading this book and found the effect to be akin to a light bulb going on in my head.
While Sykes lacks the conclusions of Foucault, his simplified analysis of the structure of prison makes reading Foucault's "Discipline and Punish" about 100% easier.
Here is not the place for a more detailed comparison between the two books. None the less, any committed reader of Discipline and Punish should feel compelled to digest this book: After all, it only costs a buck and can be read in a single afternoon! ...more
I've read this book three times: First time was in undergraduate, second time was in law school, third time was last week. I can honestly say that my I've read this book three times: First time was in undergraduate, second time was in law school, third time was last week. I can honestly say that my understanding of this work has grown with each reading, but that growth in comprehension has come more from my reading of other books either discussing or related to Discipline and Punish. Specifically, I would recommend Jurgen Habermas's critique of Foucault, although I now forget which book of his contains his critique. I would also recommend Goffman's "Asylums" and Sykes "The Society of the Prison" as works which can illuminate Foucault's oft dense prose.
Foucault's main thesis is that the transistion of society into modernity has resulted in institutions which are increasingly devoted to the control of the "inmate's" time. The instituions use this control of time to develop discipline. Discipline is then used to both reinforce the strength of the instituion and also to expand the reach of institution's into the community.
As other reviewers have noted, this book isn't really about Prisons. Rather, the development of the modern prison represents the pinnacle of the relationship between power and discipline. Foucault leads up to his discussion of the prison by examining developments in other instituions: the work shop, the school and the barracks.
I really would encourage admirers of this work to read Goffman's "Asylums". The two books overlap to a considerable degree, but they both complement one another. ...more
An excellent book on several levels. I highly recommend it for all of those interested in American History, Cultural Studies and Sociology. The purposeAn excellent book on several levels. I highly recommend it for all of those interested in American History, Cultural Studies and Sociology. The purpose of this book is to demonstrate the development of the American myth of the "Garden of the World". Smith argues (persuaively) that the idea of the American continent as a garden: fertile, lush and tamed(or tameable), deeply influenced the course of American history.
As Leo Marx said in his similarly awesome "The Machine in the Garden", the brillance of this book lies in how Smith demonstrates how ideology drives action (or, alternatively: how ideas drive behavior).
Smith divides "Virgin Land" into three parts. Part One "Passage to India" describes the initial path westward and the philosophy of the individuals who pushed for westward expansion (Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Hart Benton, Asa WHitney, William Gilpin and Walt Whitman). By way of a prologue, Smith notes that the idea of "Manifest Destiny" did not develop as soon as the settlers arrived, but rather was developed by American Philosophers and Politicans (and land speculators). In the first Part, Smith describes how the initial push westward was justified via the idea that a passage west would increase trade with the Orient. Smith notes that this idea dervied from 18th century Mercantilist economic theory and was therefore "archaic" (a favorite term of Smith's in this book) from the very beginning.
The Second part of the book ("The Sons of Leatherstocking") uses the literary character of Leatherstocking as an entry point for a discussion of the development of the western hero figure in literature.
A highlight of the book comes in Chapter Ten when Smith discusses the "Dime Novel Heroine". I found his discussion illuminating.
In the third and final part of the book, Smith lays out the characterstics of American Agarianism which would come to define westward expansion after the Civil War. Smith outlines the conflict between Southern Pastoralism and Nort/Western "Yeoman" Agarianism and notes how the Homestead Act was singularly influenced by this second conception of American settlement. He also documents how this same philosophy of agarianism prevented later reform of the Homestead Act even after it became clear to many that the Homestead Act had failed miserably in its goals.
Smith also discusses the struggle by authors to develop authentic western "characters" and relates that struggle to the emegerence of the "Garden of the World" symbol.
This really isn't the forum to tease out all the different issues presented, thoughtfully, in this classic book. I recommend it highly. ...more
I read this book after Amazon suggested it to me, and because it could be had for cheap. Amazon suggested I might like this book because I had recentlI read this book after Amazon suggested it to me, and because it could be had for cheap. Amazon suggested I might like this book because I had recently purchased Leo Marx's "The Machine in the Garden" and Henry Nash Smith's "Virgin Land". I had to read no further then the author's preface to see reference to those two authors, and the book often cited to their work in those two books. Undoubtably, Chapter Two, called "The Factory as Republican Community" is a must-read. Using Goffman's concept of the "Total Insitituion", Kasson uses primary and secondary source material to discuss how the establishment of the Lowell-model factories in New England represented the culmination of a certain kind of american ideology. Kasson situates the discussion in terms of American reaction to English factory life (see Dickens, Hard Times) and how American factory owners wanted their factories to be "different".
For me, the most illuminating part of this book came when Kasson explained how the reaction to English factory life was primarily shock and horror at the lack of social control exercised by the British over their factory workers. The Lowell owners were just as concerned with the social control of their workers as they were with making economic profit (Kasson points out that their was a substantial issue as to whether the factories would, in fact, be profitable). For me, the point was to illustrate the profoundly undemocratic roots of American Republicanism. Although Kasson is far from an ideologue, I can see why this chapter is often required reading in college history courses.
As for the rest of the book. Meh. Chapter one sets up the background for Chapter two, so you have to read that. I thought his chapter on Emerson ("Technology and Imaginative Freedom") was a bit derivative of his influences. His chapter on "The Aesthetics of Machinery" is mildly interesting (Did you know that Americans used to paint their machines with flowers?). His final chapter on "Technology and Utopia" is, in my opinion, the weakest, although I was engaged by his exegesis of Twain's "A Conneticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court".
I'd recommend this book for students of early america history, american studies types and people interested in the the subject of social control. ...more
I really enjoyed reading this book, though it did take me a while to read through it. Rothman advances an argument to explain why America turned to inI really enjoyed reading this book, though it did take me a while to read through it. Rothman advances an argument to explain why America turned to instituionalization of different classes of people during the Jacksonian period. His basic thesis is that medical elites feared the growing democratization of American society and therefore advanced the idea that institutionalization could make unproductive citizens productive and simletaneously serve as a model for the rest of the society. In Rothman's model, the "Discovery of the Asylum" was both a progressive and deeply conservative event. This conflict is never resolved, and was ultimately at the root of the great failure of the rehabilative model of insitutionalization in the post civil war period. Rothman persuaively argues that by the 1880's, the idea that individuals could be rehabilitated by the process of instituionalization had been abandoned in favor of a "custodial" model.
Rothman looks at the examples of poor houses, pentientaries, orphanages and insane asylums to explicate his thesis.
Fans of Foucault's "Discipline and Punishment", Goffman's "Asylums" and Sykes "The Society of Captives" should find this book enthralling.
First reviewer! Huzzah! This book is a survey of the role of gentleman in English society through history. Castronovo "opens up"(a favorite phrase of hFirst reviewer! Huzzah! This book is a survey of the role of gentleman in English society through history. Castronovo "opens up"(a favorite phrase of his) the gentleman as a concept. Central to this book are the different layers of "what it means to be a gentleman" throughout time. He starts with midevial times, tracing the evolution of the word "gentleman". He then talks about the gentleman as nobility, the gentleman as property owner, the gentleman as a rich person, and so on and so forth.
My favorite section of the book (by far) was his treatment of the gentleman as dandy. His description of the life of Beau Brummell left me clamoring for more ("People would come and watch his extraordinary toillete each morning"). Fun!
This book is short (130 pages) with a full accompaniment of notes and an excellent bibliography that makes purchase of this book worthwhile, in and of itself.
There are also a section of black and white photographs that document the gentleman in (English) art.
I also note that the same author has published a companion book, the "American Gentleman". ...more
Even though I live in San Diego, I found this book to be well worth the read. Dense but short, "Changes in the Land" gives a close reading to the ecolEven though I live in San Diego, I found this book to be well worth the read. Dense but short, "Changes in the Land" gives a close reading to the ecological impact of British colonization in New England. As Cronon states in his conclusion, this transformation has ramifications far outside New England, since the environmental degradation that accompanied early colonization forced settlers farther and farther afield. Twenty years after it was published, the scholarship is still, what I would consider "cutting edge". Cronon cuts across disciplines and primary sources to produce a nuanced model of the interrelationship of humans and the environment. Cronon's work is just as interesting for his (to me, anyway) novel technique of writing a history where the personalities of humans take a back seat to the consequnces of their decisions.
The effect is at once radical and main stream. Radical, in that Cronon strips away traditional justifications for human decisions that reinforce the implicit assumptions that cause those same decisions. Main stream, in that he manages to stay away from the hyperbole and argument that plague revisions of history.
I've also read Cronon's "Nature's Metropolis", which is his book about the development of the city of Chicago. I would recommend that book, as well as this one, to anyone interested in the subjects that Cronon covers. His scholarship is top notch.
got this book because I work as a criminal defense attorney. I have my own thoughts about "snitch culture" so I got the book, basically because of th got this book because I work as a criminal defense attorney. I have my own thoughts about "snitch culture" so I got the book, basically because of the title. The book is useful in so much as Redden, a newspaper, gathers anecdotal evidence into a single volume . His source material is mostly from newspapers and free weeklies, and that is both a strength and a flaw. Over all, the book reads like an article from a free weekly. I don't mind that per se, but I was hoping for a more rigorous treatment of a most interesting subject. For example, it would have been useful to cover the transformation of attitudes towards the use of snitches from England to America. Disgust over use of snitches was characteristic of non-elites in America prior to the American revolution. Similarly, both elites and non-elite groups in pre-Revoluntionary America shared this antipathy. Given the current prevalence of snitches, this obviously has changed, but why? This book gives us no answers.
Also, I would have appreciated some coverage of the nexus between federal sentencing law and snitch culture. For example, under recent federal guidelines (since amended) the only way under a mandatory minimum sentence was co-operation with the authorities. Surely this is a chapter in and of itself.
There is some indication that the tide is turning (at least in the non terrorism context), but I fear this book will not age well.I got this book because I work as a criminal defense attorney. I have my own thoughts about "snitch culture" so I got the book, basically because of the title. The book is useful in so much as Redden, a newspaper, gathers anecdotal evidence into a single volume . His source material is mostly from newspapers and free weeklies, and that is both a strength and a flaw. Over all, the book reads like an article from a free weekly. I don't mind that per se, but I was hoping for a more rigorous treatment of a most interesting subject.
For example, it would have been useful to cover the transformation of attitudes towards the use of snitches from England to America. Disgust over use of snitches was characteristic of non-elites in America prior to the American revolution. Similarly, both elites and non-elite groups in pre-Revoluntionary America shared this antipathy. Given the current prevalence of snitches, this obviously has changed, but why? This book gives us no answers.
Also, I would have appreciated some coverage of the nexus between federal sentencing law and snitch culture. For example, under recent federal guidelines (since amended) the only way under a mandatory minimum sentence was co-operation with the authorities. Surely this is a chapter in and of itself.
There is some indication that the tide is turning (at least in the non terrorism context), but I fear this book will not age well.
This is a comprehensive survey of one thousand years (longer, really) of western attitudes towards death. By "western" were mostly talking "French", aThis is a comprehensive survey of one thousand years (longer, really) of western attitudes towards death. By "western" were mostly talking "French", although Aries does include digressions into German, Italian, Spanish, English and American culture. I didn't find the intense focus on France to detract from the overall majesty of this 600+ page opus. For most of the thousand years, the "attitude towards death" that Aries is describing crosses national boundaires. Aries divides his study into four overlapping historical periods: "The Tame Death", "The Death of the Self", "The Death of the Other", and "The Invisible Death". The Tame Death roughly corresponds with the pre-Christian and early middle ages. This period was characterized by a meek acceptance of passing into a long period of sleep. Death is social, and the death ritual has a central place in the society.
"The Death of the Self" is moves more into the middle and late middle ages. Here, death is used by the mendicant orders of Christianity to convert a quasi-pagan population. Thus, there is a corresponding rise in individual's concern with their own death. Also during this period, there is a rise in materialism, which creates a duality between the love of things and the renunciation of the material world which is supposed to preceed death.
The Death of the Other and the Invisible Death are familiar to most modern folks. The Invisible Death is corresponds with the post WWII American model, and the Death of the Other largely corresponds to the romantic movement (lots of weeping, lots of drama).
Aries basic thesis delves into "the Invention of Tradition" territory, i.e. that modern attitudes towards death are just that, modern, and largely without antecedent in history. Aries also points out that pre-Christian traditions of death have persisted far longer in the west then one might suppose. His main illustration for this contention is the observations that the concept of "purgatory" was not fully accepted until well into the 17th and 18th century (purgatory being an exclusively Chrisitian concept).
The research and execution can only be considered awe inspiring, but the thesis less so. Any modern reader of history is aware that "tradition" is invented. Aries is less concerned as to why this might be the case, but for me, the "why" is the interesting question. ...more
This book was first published in the 1920's, so be aware going in. Over all, I found "The Dwellers on the Nile" to be informative, but that impressionThis book was first published in the 1920's, so be aware going in. Over all, I found "The Dwellers on the Nile" to be informative, but that impression was undermined by occasional forays into cenury old academic disputes over various subjects relating to the Ancient Egyptians. Modern generalist readers would be well advised to skip some of the lengthier foot notes (which, in my edition, were in 6 point type... ouch!).
Sir Budge covers daily life, history, work, religion, and literature. He also provides ample examples of Egyptian script with accompanying translation.
I would like to read a more recent take on the same subject, although I should also like to read Edward Said's, "Orientalism" as well, to get a different perspective. ...more
This five volume history of the victorian bourgeois follows a freudian schematic: the first volume dealt with love, the second with sex, and this voluThis five volume history of the victorian bourgeois follows a freudian schematic: the first volume dealt with love, the second with sex, and this volume with agression.
This book was my favorite of the three I've read so far. Gay picks apart the Victorian penchant for cloaked agression with admirable scholastic fortitude. His discussion of Foucault's theory of prisons is a high light for this entire five volume set.
His critique of what he calls the "social control" theorists is that they fail to take into account the ability of the powerful to delude themselves into thinking they are doing the right thing, even when they are most assuredly not.
Why stop here? Only two more volumes to go... ...more
Patterson, a Harvard Professor who made his bones writing about slavery in the New World, turns his focus to the roots of the "value complex" we AmeriPatterson, a Harvard Professor who made his bones writing about slavery in the New World, turns his focus to the roots of the "value complex" we Americans call "freedom". Although this is volume one of a two volume set, the author himself refers to the second volume as a "footnote" in the history of freedom.
Patterson discusses four different time periods and their impact on the development of freedom. First, the Greeks, next, the Romans, third, Christianity and fourth The Middle Ages.
Cabining his discussion of all four time periods are two guiding precepts. FIrst, that western freedom consists of three constituent elements which combine to make Western freedom "chordal". The elements are sovereignal, civic and personal freedom. Patterson goes to great length to demonstrate that while modern thinkers (post enlightenement) equate "freedom" with personal and civic freedom, the type of freedom most people were familiar with back in the day was, in fact, "sovereignal" freedom, which can be described as "freedom through absolute devotion to a god/king/emperor/leader" through which the followers remain free.
The second main insight is that a "slave society" is a pre condition for the development of freedom. In other words, freedom developed from the yearnings of slaves to escape bondage. In that way, freedom, the west's greatest achievment is bound up in the unspeakable evil of slavery. I found that particular insight illuminating.
Worthy of a read, although it takes a while to muddle through. Patterson is fond of both the academic "we" and citing extensively from specialist scholars. On the whole a worthwhile investment of time. Extensively footnoted for follow up reading ...more
This is book five of the five volume series. Yes, I have read them all. If I had to recommend two I would recommend the first volume(sex) and the thirThis is book five of the five volume series. Yes, I have read them all. If I had to recommend two I would recommend the first volume(sex) and the third volume(agression). I feel that I should be awarded some sort of prize for completing this task.
I struggled with this volume, even though it is the shortest (240 pp.) by far of the five. Perhaps that's because the theme: bourgeois taste in art, was so dreadfully boring. There's not a single chapter I really enjoyed until the (last) chapter on the emergence of moderning. Or maybe that was because I was so close to the end.
So now I know plenty about the Victorian bourgeois. What can you say about them? That they defy easy categorization. But really, can't you say that about many subjects? Gay's focus on the journals of every day bourgeois as source material was fine, but over five volumes, I could have used some more "great men" and current events. ...more
This is a brief introduction to Bailyn's highly regarded "Voyagers to the West". The book is, as it states, a serious of transcribed lectures that Ba
This is a brief introduction to Bailyn's highly regarded "Voyagers to the West". The book is, as it states, a serious of transcribed lectures that Bailyn delivered to college undergrads. You can tell that these are lectures, but Bailyn has provided ample footnoting at the back of the book.
Understand that this is a short book. It should only take about a couple of hours (maybe less) to read. "Voyagers to the West" runs about 800 pgs, so you'd probably want to read this before that, just to make sure this is what you are interested in.
Bailyn uses four "propositions" to frame the themes of his lectures. The propositions boil down to the idea that the received wisdom we have about the peopling of the British colonies in America is wrong and that the process was more complex then we thought. I would refer those unfamiliar with this approach (that of framing "propostions" for historical inquiry), to the work of the Annales school in France (Marc Bloch, Phillipe Aries, etc).
Fans of David Hackett Fischer's "Albion's Seed" will want to check this one out.
This book was a challenge to read. The first two hundred and fifty pages are as dull as any social science you're likely to read and the last hundred This book was a challenge to read. The first two hundred and fifty pages are as dull as any social science you're likely to read and the last hundred and fifty pages lack anything like a conclusion or summary chapter. None the less, you have to give credit where credit is due and acknowledge the majesty of this work.
Bailyn, in exhausting detail, uses records maintained by the British crown between 1774-1776 to document the who, what, where and why's of British migration to the colonies in the years immedietaely proceeding the revolution.
His main thesis can be summarized by stating that there were, in fact, two parallel migrations. The first was of unattached, single men from the area around London to the middle states of Maryland and North Carolina. The second migration was of families from the british midlands and Scotland. These migrants used Pennsylvennia and New York as a jumping off point for their population of the back country.
Baiyln backs up the thesis with tons of charts, graphs and maps. This was a much heavier read then I expected. ...more
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