"Controversial Books about the Middle Ages" Topic
7 Posts
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Tango01 | 04 Jan 2018 11:46 a.m. PST |
"Hundreds of books about the Middle Ages are published each year. Many offer new and interesting insights into the period, and are generally well-received. However, there are also books that can cause a stir among medievalists. Some topics, such as the Crusades or Richard III, often generate considerable debate. Other books have found controversy for different reasons – sometimes bringing in new ideas that have changed the way we think about the Middle Ages, while others have been met by scorn and criticism…." Main page link Amicalement Armand |
daler240D | 04 Jan 2018 1:26 p.m. PST |
It's always interesting to see the academic 'establishment' get worked up over an author that manages to get mainstream attention and the nit picking fights that they choose to launch against them. The Swerve critque that is linked in the article in particular is laughable. Thanks for the post. |
Pan Marek | 04 Jan 2018 3:22 p.m. PST |
Daler- You think academics are bad?? You need to look at more "discussions" on TMP! |
basileus66 | 05 Jan 2018 12:38 a.m. PST |
Daler Why is it laughable? I read it. It is very reasonable critique. After all, if you make an assertion, as Greenblatt did, you must be able, at least, to support it with primary sources. Otherwise, it is just an opinion, may be informed, but opinion nonetheless. Also, you can't build up your whole thesis on a strawman argument, and that is what Greenblatt did -I read his book, too-: the Medieval times were a period of obscurantism and intellectual decay, while the Renaissance, sparked by literary discoveries as De Rerum Natura, was a period of Enlighntment and freedom. Neither is correct, if only because Renaissance was a turning point in a process of cultural transformation whose roots can be traced back to the XIIIth Century. Nuances are everything in History. |
Puster | 05 Jan 2018 2:56 a.m. PST |
What you call "nit picking figths" is the usual debate that all scientific work should stand up to. |
Perris0707 | 05 Jan 2018 6:19 a.m. PST |
But it is fun to watch the pendulum swing back and forth based on "interpretations of history" that are most often rooted in the personal bias of the author. The rarest thing on earth may be a completely unbiased historical account. Most primary accounts are biased to begin with. |
Tango01 | 05 Jan 2018 11:04 p.m. PST |
Glad you enjoyed it Antonio!. Amicalement Armand
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