In honor of Valentine's Day.
This isn't actually about Valentine's Day per se; it's about Alcibiades. Though one might well think of him as my historical Valentine. Not that I've ever had the guts to ask him or send him a card or anything. But that's not the point.
I've hit that period in February where I'm dissatisfied with everything, so instead of actually doing what I'm supposed to be doing--ie, what I'm dissatisfied with--I'm printing out scholarly essays on Alcibiades and falling stupidly, historically in love all over again for the very first time etc etc etc.
Which basically inspired me to ask this question of you guys, since I'm eternally curious.
Who's your historical boyfriend/girlfriend, and why? Do you get angry, spittle-style, when you read something about him/her that may be true but isn't all that flattering? Does reading about his/her death get you all choked up (but you do it anyway because apparently you hate yourself a little)? Does it make you sigh to see his/her name mentioned unexpectedly in an unrelated book? Do you swoon a little? Does your stomach get upset?
Mine does! I've made what is admittedly a poor choice in men, but at least everyone seems to agree on one point: that is, that Alcibiades had "panache." I'm going to have to start using that word more often if I want to be a real authority on Alcibiades, since the general scholarly work done on him has only one common thread.
Panache.
I've hit that period in February where I'm dissatisfied with everything, so instead of actually doing what I'm supposed to be doing--ie, what I'm dissatisfied with--I'm printing out scholarly essays on Alcibiades and falling stupidly, historically in love all over again for the very first time etc etc etc.
Which basically inspired me to ask this question of you guys, since I'm eternally curious.
Who's your historical boyfriend/girlfriend, and why? Do you get angry, spittle-style, when you read something about him/her that may be true but isn't all that flattering? Does reading about his/her death get you all choked up (but you do it anyway because apparently you hate yourself a little)? Does it make you sigh to see his/her name mentioned unexpectedly in an unrelated book? Do you swoon a little? Does your stomach get upset?
Mine does! I've made what is admittedly a poor choice in men, but at least everyone seems to agree on one point: that is, that Alcibiades had "panache." I'm going to have to start using that word more often if I want to be a real authority on Alcibiades, since the general scholarly work done on him has only one common thread.
Panache.