@Emilymdxn this may get dangerously close to that other statement we both had issue with, but it doesn‘t go as far. It‘s more that an individual knew their place and without a place they were in trouble (which is kind of the whole point of his first chapter anyway). This is also set in 1417, so the earliest part of Early Modern history as well, sort of that shifting time between medieval and early modern.
#stephengreenblatt #theswerve #personhood
Emilymdxn Yeah I can go along with that about kinship networks being immensely important and people having to fit into them in the early medieval period - like all of Old English poetry backs that up. Idk how long that‘s true for tho - late medieval writing is much more individualistic I feel like?? I agree that the trend over time is for the individual to become more important 5y
GingerAntics @Emilymdxn I think in literature the individual was becoming more important, but in society the group was still more important. I don‘t know as much about wider Europe but the clan life existed well into the early modern period in both Scotland and Ireland. Family name was (and to an extent still is) really important in England. I think individualism started in literature and moved out into wider society. 5y
GingerAntics @Emilymdxn almost like literature was the “safe space” to be an individual and then eventually people started living that way. 5y
See All 9 Comments
Emilymdxn I think you could well be right about history, I come at these things from a very literary history angle. Even when I try to read history I‘m always doing literature by mistake. I think the individual always has to be important in literature or it‘d be kinda crappy literature (personal opinion but eh), tho there was a slow change in the way the individual was oriented and what were perceived as good goals to have 5y
Emilymdxn I like that safe space idea a lot! 5y
GingerAntics @Emilymdxn I love that angle, personally. I sort of come from the other angle. Sometimes when I‘m reading literature I‘m doing history by accident. I think that‘s where my issues with historical fiction come in. The line between history and literature are blurred. He safe space thing was the best way I could put it. Sort of it was safe to explore the self and individualness before it was socially safe to do so in real life. 5y
GingerAntics @Emilymdxn Literature was the Medieval/Early Modern internet. lol 5y
Emilymdxn My boyfriend is a historian and my degree was in literature (with linguistics and theology sort of) so we always find ourselves coming at the same book from opposite places where he thinks everything is history but I just want to talk about The Soul lol 5y
GingerAntics @Emilymdxn 🤣😂🤣 that reminds me of one of my friends. We met in grad school where she was studying lit and I was studying history. We were in a few classes together and that sounds so much like our conversations on our reading assignments. 🤣😂🤣 I do love a good smattering of theology in my history and lingustics is sort of a side project, not-that-serious-but-I-fins-it-interesting pursuit of mine. 5y
17 likes9 comments