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Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: The Philosopher who wrote (45846)	7/16/1999 1:58:00 PM
From: Father Terrence	Respond to of 108807

You claim there is no such thing as a "fictitious story" either? FROM WEBSTER'S COLLEGIATE DICTIONARY: Main Entry: par·a·ble Pronunciation: 'par-&-b&l Function: noun Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin parabola, from Greek parabolE comparison, from paraballein to compare, from para- + ballein to throw -- more at DEVIL Date: 14th century : EXAMPLE; specifically : a usually short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle ----------------------- A Situation Exemplifying Roger's Ifs The following is a fictitious story which will exemplify Roger's three if statements in an actual real life situation. I would have preferred using an actual story from my life, but I believe it is implausible to think that these statements could ever actually occur in real-life. It would be lovely if such a situation could actually occur, but I do not know of a situation, nor do I think that such a situation is plausible. My story deals with two men named Bill and Bob who works in the office for a company which sells apple juice products. falcon.jmu.edu ---------------------- A Christian Myth The dictionary defines the word “Myth” as a fictitious story or unscientific account. Most of us know a few myths and have retold them sometime or other in our lives. George Washington and the cherry tree is one of them. Another George Washington story is about throwing the silver dollar across the Potomac. ----------------------- Parable: a usually short, fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle (Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1986). johnco.cc.ks.us ---------------------- Analysis of the fictitious story in "Athar-i Muhammadi" Muhammad Taqi bin Ali Reza compiled "Athar-i Muhammadi" in 1310/1893, dealing with the history of the Ismaili Imams. It relates one incredible story that Kiya Buzrug Ummid had made a will to his son, Muhammad bin Kiya that he must give up the power in favour of al- Mohtadi when he grew young. One day, when Muhammad bin Kiya asked about it to al-Mohtadi, the latter said, "This is the task of my son Hasan after our death." Muhammad bin Kiya feared... ismaili.net

To: The Philosopher who wrote (45846)	7/16/1999 2:11:00 PM
From: jbe	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

Any hints? Well, if you are already a professional historian or a history buff, interested in a particular field, trial and error will already have shown you where to look -- and where not to look. Otherwise, a good rule of thumb is to avoid professional journals; most of the articles published in them, and many of the books they review, are written primarily in order to get promotion and/or tenure. Not conducive to what we would call good style. On the other hand, much can be gleaned from reading a publication like The New York Review of Books. The great thing about the NYROB is that it gives you up-to-date snapshots of seminal work being done in just about any field you can name, while at the same time retaining its "literary" bias. In other words, its readers expect it to focus on work capable of entertaining, as well as instructing. So I would (and do) pay special attention to its review articles on works of history. Most of the recommendations are likely to be "sure bets." Joan

To: The Philosopher who wrote (45846)	7/17/1999 5:49:00 AM
From: Dayuhan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

Anything by Barbara Tuchman. Not scholarly history, perhaps, but damned good writing, great reading, and quite meticulously referenced, at least to the extent that I've checked.

To: The Philosopher who wrote (45846)	7/17/1999 8:29:00 AM
From: nihil	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

There are so many enjoyable kinds of history to me that I can't really decide whether its the events or the writing that turns me on. I just found a volume of American documents about the founding of the nation published by the government including Madison's detailed notes on the Constitutional Convention (300 pages or so). He attempted to summarize what was going on every day. Absolutely gripping. He knew he was writing some of the most important historical documents imaginable. Not historical writing, but history itself. I also am rereading the full study of history by Toynbee. It's grand. He sweeps you into the same kind of generalization about humanity and its mission if any on earth that makes me speculate. He doesn't lose you in the delicious but meaningless detail of Gibbon (who has never really been replaced). I have the sense that Gibbon knew that at least for Englishmen, he was closing as many pages of history as he was opening -- and they would never be opened again without first reading what he had to say. And I'm rereading Sandburg's Lincoln. It is one of the most magnificent biographies I've ever read. There's lyricism, especially in the Prairie Years, but it's backed by astounding scholarship. It's main virtue is that I know I'll reread Freeman's Lee and Lee's Lieutenants which I haven't touched for 40 years, and then I'll have to reread his Washington as well, and Malone's Jefferson and van Doren Franklin. But I also like big parallel stacks of facts like Timetables of History, and Wells' Outlines of History. These are dangerous as hell, because they can get you wrapped into detailed place history of places like Morea, Serbia, Korea, the Indian subcontinent, about which you shouldn't give a damn and should be satisfied with reading Encyclopaedia Britannica articles or Dupuy's Harper's Handbook of Military History (a great work by the guys who taught history at West Point for many years). And then there's Morison's History of the US Navy in World War II -- he omits a few names (like George Bush) but the incidents are there. I own the whole damned thing, and when I am feeling hopeless about the future and think that for the little guy there isn't any purpose, I start at Pearl Harbor and remember how I felt that afternoon in my room December 7th 1941, listening to the unfolding story of the disaster and poring over my notebooks full of data pulled from Jane's Fighting Ships and being so shocked and horrified about the probable losses that I was sure that my lifetime would be spent in fighting. It took me 30 years before I could face my personal shame at that defeat -- how could my Navy have been so unprepared. But the recovery, rebuilding and attack -- the volumes on Guadalcanal, Marianas, Leyte Gulf -- I could never get enough of them. Read Morison if you want to know about World War II. He was there. He saw it happen. There's the kiss of salt in the air, and a taste of blood at the corner of your mouth (it comes from your own bitten lips). Great history. Comparable to Thukidides at his best, and about equally important stuff -- except this time the good guys won. Then there's American diplomacy to read about. Acheson, Nitze, Kennan, Kissinger, Rostow and how the last 50 year's came about without mankind blowing itself up. It's not a pretty story -- after all, it was done by people who didn't know how it would turn out. But mostly honest men and good. And lucky ---, don't forget the luck.