Like many of my fellow social historians, I love a good rebellion. Who wouldn’t? Most of history is about the rich and the powerful screwing the rest of us. Rebellions are the moments when ordinary people get to fight back. And let’s be honest about this: all of us, if we found ourselves in a…
Month: July 2015
17th-century cats who don’t have time for this shit
‘Asses are made to bear, and so are you.’ — ‘I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people.’ — ‘I find my familiarity with thee has bred contempt.’ — ‘You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have…
Who Wrote All The Plays?
I recently had the misfortune of watching the film ‘Anonymous’. For those who’ve not seen it, it’s a kind of weird Elizabethan conspiracy flick. There’s intrigue, there are moody scenes in darkened manor houses, there are illegitimate children, and there’s rebellion. A plot is afoot to topple Queen Bess, and to defraud posterity. It’s all…
The Social Historian 