Friday Five... five days late
Been insanely occupied with convention stuff, trip planning, prep for another convention, and, oh yeah, there's supposed to be a life in there somewhere. But for once the Friday Five was all things I could answer easily, so typing this quickly before I lose momentum (or something else catches fire).
1. Is there a particular historical period or event, anywhere in the world, that fascinates you?
Several, but of course the Battle of Hastings is always my go-to. And the several decades of events leading up to it, which are fascinating in their own right.
2. Would you like to visit that time, or live in it permanently, or does the whole idea make you want to run screaming?
Oh, hell, no! I mean, time-travel tourism is always an intriguing concept, but no one with a lick of sense would want to be stuck in the middle of a couple of major wars, an invasion, the overthrow of a previously-stable government, and the upheaval of an entire social and political system. Watching it through a lens, not too darkly, sure; living it, no thank you.
3. What's the best piece of historical writing, nonfiction or fiction, you've ever read?
I don't know about the best, but certainly the one that had the most impact on me was David Howarth's 1066: The Year of the Conquest. Not only did it feed my already-eager interest in the period, but it introduced me to the concept of popular history as a thing people could write. For years that was What I Wanted To Do With My Life, and I still have great respect for the people who can consistently pull it off.
4. What's the worst?
Plenty of contenders here, including a number of stultifyingly dull textbooks, most of which I happily no longer have readily to hand for reference. The worst recently would have to be A Short History of Australia by Manning Clark, which combines the dual sins of being stultifyingly dull with not actually explaining anything about Australian history, but merely referring to major figures and events on the assumption that the reader already knows about them.
5. Is there a historical site you would love to visit?
Well, Hastings, again. Actually working on that at the moment, though the websites around Hastings and Battle Abbey could stand to be a deal more informative about times and schedules and things.
This entry was originally posted at https://lizvogel.dreamwidth.org/202143.html because I got tired of dealing with whatever LiveJournal had broken this time. Comment whereever.
1. Is there a particular historical period or event, anywhere in the world, that fascinates you?
Several, but of course the Battle of Hastings is always my go-to. And the several decades of events leading up to it, which are fascinating in their own right.
2. Would you like to visit that time, or live in it permanently, or does the whole idea make you want to run screaming?
Oh, hell, no! I mean, time-travel tourism is always an intriguing concept, but no one with a lick of sense would want to be stuck in the middle of a couple of major wars, an invasion, the overthrow of a previously-stable government, and the upheaval of an entire social and political system. Watching it through a lens, not too darkly, sure; living it, no thank you.
3. What's the best piece of historical writing, nonfiction or fiction, you've ever read?
I don't know about the best, but certainly the one that had the most impact on me was David Howarth's 1066: The Year of the Conquest. Not only did it feed my already-eager interest in the period, but it introduced me to the concept of popular history as a thing people could write. For years that was What I Wanted To Do With My Life, and I still have great respect for the people who can consistently pull it off.
4. What's the worst?
Plenty of contenders here, including a number of stultifyingly dull textbooks, most of which I happily no longer have readily to hand for reference. The worst recently would have to be A Short History of Australia by Manning Clark, which combines the dual sins of being stultifyingly dull with not actually explaining anything about Australian history, but merely referring to major figures and events on the assumption that the reader already knows about them.
5. Is there a historical site you would love to visit?
Well, Hastings, again. Actually working on that at the moment, though the websites around Hastings and Battle Abbey could stand to be a deal more informative about times and schedules and things.
This entry was originally posted at https://lizvogel.dreamwidth.org/202143.html because I got tired of dealing with whatever LiveJournal had broken this time. Comment whereever.