Readings

[taelle]

I'm still reading Shakespeare bio by Georg Brandes; it's weirdly entertaining. Apparently Ricardians are not the only ones who fight with Shakespeare for the honour of their favourite hero; Brandes has an entire chapter on Caesar and how Shakespeare was wrong about him (though he doesn't suspect Shakespeare of evil mercenary intentions, at least).

Comments

[sollersuk]

I am always suspicious towards a protagonist in a historical novel who is too modern-thinking compared to everyone else.

After my own heart! I so detest projecting modern attitudes (and knowledge!) into the past!

[taelle]

Oh yes. Some people were, no doubt, less conservative than others, but then it should be shown in context and in a balanced way.

[sollersuk]

And it needs to be shown that they are aberrant in the society.

What I particularly like about Patrick O'Brian is that Stephen Maturin is so completely a doctor of his time, whingeing about Jack Aubrey's "levitical cleanliness" when Jack insists on washing saucepans etc: the naval officer is more hygiene-minded in the modern sense than the highly qualified, open minded, forward-thinking physician.

[taelle]

Oh yes, I enjoyed all that stuff a lot.