(no subject)

[endlessrarities]

I just finished watching the complete Simon Schama's A History of Britain.  There was a slight hiccup - I accidentally missed out the second-last episode and had to watch it last, but...

For those who have an interest in British history, I can't recommend this collection highly enough.  The fervent nationalists of Scotland and Wales might scoff at the way it skates over certain episodes of regional history, but it really shouldn't be seen as the complete guide to the history of Britain, per se.  It should be interpreted, instead, as a series of themed essays which capture the essence of certain key moments in Britain's history. 

The viewer is carried on a compelling journey which takes them from Neolithic Orkney, through the medieval wars of independence, via Mary, Queen of Scots and Civil War, right through to World War II.  The scope is vast, covering the role Britain played in the wider British Empire, in  particular the Americas, and India.  This isn't history as a glorious triumphalist celebration of achievements: it's a sombre reflective summary of a journey which has been painful and cruel and often futile for those caught at its heart. 

The resulting programmes are often bleak, and sometimes harrowing.  Seen in tandem with contemporary developments in the modern world, the resonances can be particularly uncomfortable.  And yet, when it boils down it, the final impression that is left is one of bittersweet regret and above all, hope for the future.

If you never caught it the first time, keep an eye out for it.  It's well worth watching! 

Comments

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

I watched it last year with my son who, though he has a first from Cambridge, an MA and is now doing a PhD at Princeton in Architecture, has never been exposed to much formal history teaching and has been playing catchup all the way through undergrad and postgrad studies in order to put the histoprical aspects of architecture into perspective. He found the Schama DVDs very useful as snapsots of a particular period and it sparked off a lot of post show discussion. I'm no history expert, but I've dipped into it over the years and picked up some basics, plus I've done a lot of local and family history.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

He puts an interesting slant on things, and the end result is usually very gripping and in many cases, oozing with the grim inevitability of a Shakespearean tragedy.

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

From this distance it's impossible to get any history that hasn't been coloured by the chronicler - even original written sources. I wonder how it looked to someone who was there at the time. Did anyone - even the people supposedly in charge - really have the big picture?

I guess your job is as close as it comes because there's no spin on actual buildings. They are what they are. Even if there are maddening gaps in what they tell us and probably wildly differing interpretations. The many different interpretations of Stonehenge for example.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

That's why I like the historical novels of Hilary Mantel - her characters seem to be making history on a strictly ad hoc basis. It's a series of unfortunate events which together combine to change things.