that meme that's going around, that cold that's going around too

[lolaraincoat]

Oh you know the one:

Pick up the nearest book to you.
Turn to page 45.
The first sentence describes your sex life in 2012.

Psychoanalytic theory would appear to be dependent upon the activation of scenarios with visual, auditory, and narrative dimensions.Well, that sounds promising. I'll have to try it out as soon as I get over this horrible cold

Comments

[cordelia_v]

I haven't read Scott's latest, having been sort of busy with other shiny things. Do you recommend it?

Appropo of that: wouldn't it be REALLY COOL if one could design and teach a course on feminist historiographies? I would totally teach that course. Or take it!

[lolaraincoat]

I'm ... not sure I recommend it. I read the introduction once and found it completely opaque, read it again and it was clear as day and very persuasive. I've been skimming around through the rest of it - it's really a collection of her essays, including a keynote at the Berks - pulling out bits I like, rather than really engaging. So probably I recommend it, but I'd have to read more thoroughly before I could be sure. I'm quite entertained to see that psychoanalytic theory is our new trendy thing. So retro!

I actually am teaching a grad historiography course in comparative 20th c. gender history this term, but too late to include this book. Maybe next time ...

[cordelia_v]

Send me the syllabus for your grad historiography class, plzzz?

Here's the thing about Scott's book, which didn't surprise me at all: that it is a collection of essays. Kathleen Canning (who was supposed to be the Next Big Thing in Continental European historiography) took the same out: a collection of essays.

I have a theory that this is an easier debate to participate in when you create one cogent, medium-length essay, than if you attempt a monograph-length study. Also, Scott's last two books originated as essay collections, I think.

I do see the temptation, granted. I myself would find it easier to create a book that was a collection of essays rather than something that was inherently and fundamentally a monograph . . .

[tournevis]

I repeat and second every work of cordelia_v's comment