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Jun. 12th, 2007
A look into another world...
Jun. 12th, 2007 10:05 amWell. I've just begun reading Helen Castor's book about the Paston Letters, Blood and Roses, which I'd been hearing good things about for some time. Thus far (one chapter in) it's excellent, but that's not quite why I'm posting.
( What the heck I'm talking about, lj-cut to spare you )
Yeah, I can get a little passionate about this stuff.
Anyway, so (being bored at work) I decided to check out the wikipedia page about the Paston Letters, to read up on how the collection was passed and (almost) lost and recovered in preparation for diving deeper into Helen Castor's book. (There have been, by the by, several excellent books examining the Letters; Castor's is just the most recent and the one with the most publicity.) And I was gobsmacked to find (I think you can see where this is going) that Norman Davis (who wrote one of the aforementioned other studies) has made them all available on the web. Yes, you can point your browser to a time machine, a direct look at how people thought and felt over 500 years ago. I'm well aware that those of you who aren't so interested in history might question this, but I feel like this is what the internet is for (Avenue Q's argument notwithstanding), or at least what it was supposed to be for, back when it was opened up to academics. And this is just the coolest thing, like, ever. To me. Probably not to you. But, as I said, I can get passionate about this stuff, so I felt I had to share. I mean, reading what ordinary (non-noble, non-churchmen) people wrote, how they felt, what they thought....it's just....so...cool.......
Warning: These letters are not translated into modern English with standardized spellings. This is the raw stuff. People who are interested, but not that interested, should give Helen Castor's book a look. It's really good and really accessible.
[UPDATE]: a history and overview of the Paston family from the BBC history site, in case you'd just like the story without the big book or middle English letters. (Some letters translated there, too!) Check it out!
( What the heck I'm talking about, lj-cut to spare you )
Yeah, I can get a little passionate about this stuff.
Anyway, so (being bored at work) I decided to check out the wikipedia page about the Paston Letters, to read up on how the collection was passed and (almost) lost and recovered in preparation for diving deeper into Helen Castor's book. (There have been, by the by, several excellent books examining the Letters; Castor's is just the most recent and the one with the most publicity.) And I was gobsmacked to find (I think you can see where this is going) that Norman Davis (who wrote one of the aforementioned other studies) has made them all available on the web. Yes, you can point your browser to a time machine, a direct look at how people thought and felt over 500 years ago. I'm well aware that those of you who aren't so interested in history might question this, but I feel like this is what the internet is for (Avenue Q's argument notwithstanding), or at least what it was supposed to be for, back when it was opened up to academics. And this is just the coolest thing, like, ever. To me. Probably not to you. But, as I said, I can get passionate about this stuff, so I felt I had to share. I mean, reading what ordinary (non-noble, non-churchmen) people wrote, how they felt, what they thought....it's just....so...cool.......
Warning: These letters are not translated into modern English with standardized spellings. This is the raw stuff. People who are interested, but not that interested, should give Helen Castor's book a look. It's really good and really accessible.
[UPDATE]: a history and overview of the Paston family from the BBC history site, in case you'd just like the story without the big book or middle English letters. (Some letters translated there, too!) Check it out!
...and I pronounce it....eh. It was all right. Not great, not bad.
To be honest, if I wasn't such a big Doctor Who fan, I'm not sure I'd be anxious to tune in for series two. Ah well, I'll have to see how the rest of the Doctor Who season plays out. If it works the way I think it will, maybe it'll get me enthused for new Torchwood.
No spoilers or major discussion here, since the thing ran, like, six months ago. Most folks who care have seen it and drawn their own conclusions. (Some of which are obviously radically different than mine.) I will say that it will be on the CBC later this year. Which, oddly, means Canadian fans will see Captain Jack on Doctor Who before they see him on Torchwood, since...
Oh! Right! Apparently, the CBC had a "stealth" premiere of Doctor Who series three last night with a showing of the Christmas special, "The Runaway Bride." I found out about it last night, and so have no idea what time it aired. (Running it was contingent on the hockey playoffs ending early, apparently.) So, they'll be starting with "Smith & Jones," episode one of series three, next week for you Canadians--check your local listings! And no worries about missing the special; you don't need to have seen it to understand episode one!
To be honest, if I wasn't such a big Doctor Who fan, I'm not sure I'd be anxious to tune in for series two. Ah well, I'll have to see how the rest of the Doctor Who season plays out. If it works the way I think it will, maybe it'll get me enthused for new Torchwood.
No spoilers or major discussion here, since the thing ran, like, six months ago. Most folks who care have seen it and drawn their own conclusions. (Some of which are obviously radically different than mine.) I will say that it will be on the CBC later this year. Which, oddly, means Canadian fans will see Captain Jack on Doctor Who before they see him on Torchwood, since...
Oh! Right! Apparently, the CBC had a "stealth" premiere of Doctor Who series three last night with a showing of the Christmas special, "The Runaway Bride." I found out about it last night, and so have no idea what time it aired. (Running it was contingent on the hockey playoffs ending early, apparently.) So, they'll be starting with "Smith & Jones," episode one of series three, next week for you Canadians--check your local listings! And no worries about missing the special; you don't need to have seen it to understand episode one!