On unduly long (and mischaracterised) historical epochs
I've surely flagged up heretofore the 'popular mind''s very loose grasp on what happened when and issues of periodicity - the Long Elizabethan era (in which Milton, we are given to suppose, must have written under Gloriana's never-ending rule); the Almost Interminable Regency (Undead Prinny stalks the realm; no really, one Brighton Pavilion was ENUFF already); the Long Victorian Age (for which I can make a scholarly case as a historian, but I would still not classify Jane Austen among the Victorian novelists).
We also have The Dark Ages, which to some minds still appear to stretch pretty much from some time during the Roman Empire until, approximately, the Renaissance.
I was reminded that the peeves were a bit upset by this review by Nicholas Lezard which mischaracterises long and diverse centuries, by sitting with the Aged P watching a programme about Athelstan, grandson of King Alfred and pretty impressive in his own right.
Someone who in the C10th was all about law, order, trade, culture, etc, even if there was also a fair amount of fighting involved in ruling.
Anyhow, not so much the grimdark painted by Lezard (whom we suspect is Not A Historian). This entry was originally posted at http://oursin.dreamwidth.org/2141364.html. Please comment there using OpenID. View
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