tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462946535883846881.post8117016926928500006..comments2024-03-17T16:32:51.970-04:00Comments on Vast Public Indifference: 101 Ways, Part 65: Earth Life ClosedCDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14390048358391513711noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462946535883846881.post-30766025267129314092008-11-17T22:19:00.000-05:002008-11-17T22:19:00.000-05:00Ryan,If I understand what Meranze is saying (a dub...Ryan,<BR/><BR/>If I understand what Meranze is saying (a dubious assumption), I tend to agree with him as well. I get a little uncomfortable when people start rhapsodizing over the "thingness of things" — it's all a little too romantic for me.<BR/><BR/>That said, I disagree somewhat with Meranze about the destabilizing potential of objects vs. written texts. While it's true that encountering an unfamiliar text can be a disorienting experience, I've never been so thoroughly befuddled by a text as I have been by an object. The feeling of alienation when confronted by an uninterpreted object can be profoundly shocking, and it is a useful shock — it forces an observer to start with the concrete and observable instead of jumping to (often erroneous) conclusions. I'm not saying that experience has to be unique to objects — we should apply the same standards to texts so that we don't assume too much about them — but I think that the strangeness of objects forces us to think deeply about other types of texts as well. I love the way Walter Johnson approaches conventional texts (letters, etc.) — he is able to make them as strange as if they were objects.<BR/><BR/>I'm not familiar with Herman's paper and Meranze's essay is its own little "prison house of language," so I'm sure I've missed some important points, but so it goes. In general, I am a pragmatist and an advocate for plain-spokenness in academic writing, so I don't generally wade into many theoretical arguments. I wouldn't go so far as to argue for a purely object-based history, but object-focused history in conjunction with conventional documentary histories seems fine to me. As for defining "culture" — I'll leave that to others.Caitlin GD Hopkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05317897772288904474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462946535883846881.post-68588112737307738092008-11-16T14:04:00.000-05:002008-11-16T14:04:00.000-05:00Given the focus on all things dead, I'm interested...Given the focus on all things dead, I'm interested in your reaction to Michael Meranze's critique of Bernard Herman's conference paper in the new WMQ. I happen to agree with the good Professor Meranze that "object-centered histories does not take us out of the prison house of language." Herman looks at cemeteries, too. I know this is random, but I forsee heated debates over this subject in the near future.Budhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04517258801377228381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462946535883846881.post-80252319397177360272008-11-16T14:02:00.000-05:002008-11-16T14:02:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Budhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04517258801377228381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462946535883846881.post-53208992272112353932008-11-15T00:04:00.000-05:002008-11-15T00:04:00.000-05:00It is quite a nice portrait, though slightly damag...It is quite a nice portrait, though slightly damaged. I've updated the post with a close-up.<BR/><BR/>I don't have a copy of "From Slate to Marble" — I'll have to look it up.Caitlin GD Hopkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05317897772288904474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1462946535883846881.post-75752914043204737732008-11-14T14:44:00.000-05:002008-11-14T14:44:00.000-05:00The Capt. John Virgin stone is reproduced in Blach...The Capt. John Virgin stone is reproduced in Blachowicz's "From Slate to Marble" on p. 212 as the only signed John Tribell/Tribble stone in Plymouth (although unsigned stones are widespread). He suggests Tribell was particularly proud of this portrait.Robert J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12937384579138400443noreply@blogger.com