Showing category "Literature and History" (Show all posts)

Kafka Unpublished

Posted by Edward Willatt on Monday, July 19, 2010, In : Literature and History 

This news story about some unseen Kafka manuscripts points to a real problem: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-10682482 .  An expert is being allowed to look at this unpublished work in order to help a judge rule over the ownership of the manuscripts.  It seems very wrong that privately owned manuscripts can be kept secret.  Even if the documents belong to a private individual the writings contained could surely be made public.  Scholars may have no access to potentially important work ...


Continue reading ...
 

Returning to Edward Gibbon's 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

Posted by Edward Willatt on Tuesday, September 22, 2009, In : Literature and History 

I am currently reading volume 2 of Edward Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.  A very rich commentary on this work has been in progress over at Object-Oriented Philosophy and this prompted me to return to this text after some years.  The refreshing nature of Gibbon’s history, his humour and scepticism, makes it a joy to read.  The influence of Montesquieu is something I recently learnt about and this adds a great deal to my understanding of this ‘philosophi...


Continue reading ...
 

Renaissance or Reconnaissance

Posted by Edward Willatt on Wednesday, May 13, 2009, In : Literature and History 


I am reading The Age of Reconnaissance by J. H. Parry (Cardinal, 1973) and this has led me to think about the ways in which different historical ages are named.  I recently heard a historian point out that the Middle Ages were in fact the final or end days for those who lived in them.  They saw so many things we seek to understand in naturalistic terms as signs of God's work and of the impending end of the world.  This refers us to very concrete details of an age, to what was seen to be at w...


Continue reading ...
 
 

Showing category "Literature and History" (Show all posts)

Kafka Unpublished

Posted by Edward Willatt on Monday, July 19, 2010, In : Literature and History 

This news story about some unseen Kafka manuscripts points to a real problem: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-10682482 .  An expert is being allowed to look at this unpublished work in order to help a judge rule over the ownership of the manuscripts.  It seems very wrong that privately owned manuscripts can be kept secret.  Even if the documents belong to a private individual the writings contained could surely be made public.  Scholars may have no access to potentially important work ...


Continue reading ...
 

Returning to Edward Gibbon's 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

Posted by Edward Willatt on Tuesday, September 22, 2009, In : Literature and History 

I am currently reading volume 2 of Edward Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.  A very rich commentary on this work has been in progress over at Object-Oriented Philosophy and this prompted me to return to this text after some years.  The refreshing nature of Gibbon’s history, his humour and scepticism, makes it a joy to read.  The influence of Montesquieu is something I recently learnt about and this adds a great deal to my understanding of this ‘philosophi...


Continue reading ...
 

Renaissance or Reconnaissance

Posted by Edward Willatt on Wednesday, May 13, 2009, In : Literature and History 


I am reading The Age of Reconnaissance by J. H. Parry (Cardinal, 1973) and this has led me to think about the ways in which different historical ages are named.  I recently heard a historian point out that the Middle Ages were in fact the final or end days for those who lived in them.  They saw so many things we seek to understand in naturalistic terms as signs of God's work and of the impending end of the world.  This refers us to very concrete details of an age, to what was seen to be at w...


Continue reading ...
 
 

 

 

Make a free website with Yola