Recent reading
Jun. 3rd, 2020 08:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
luzulaGah, the state of the world. /o\ Well, I am somewhat avoiding the news, but I did realize that I haven't donated money in a while, so I donated fairly large chunks of money to International Planned Parenthood, UNHCR, and the Rainforest Trust. I am still doing volunteer work, but not as much of it as before my new fandom obsession--I am concentrating on internal board work in my environmental organization, since it seems to be the thing that everybody else hates and that I don't mind and am good at. And in my union, I call new members and hold introductory meetings for them once a month (now online, of course).
The Jacobite Risings in Britain 1689-1746 by Bruce Lenman (1980)
You might wonder whether I have not read enough yet about a historical conflict where I sympathize politically with neither of the sides, but apparently not! Of course it's because of my fannishness about Flight of the Heron, but also I suppose many things just become more interesting the more you read about them. This book is pretty great, actually!
Lenman is often very snarky, which makes it fun to read. Sometimes he makes snap judgments about people without really justifying why, which can annoy me, but his snark is at its best when he aims it at social structures or people in power. An example: "The jobbery and pressures used to expedite the progress of the Treaty [of Union with England in 1707] through the Scots parliament would appear to have been little different from the behavior which was standard government practice in the 18th century. It was perhaps neither less nor more reputable then the practices of government in late 20th century Britain, another patronage-ridden society." This one is also pretty great: "All governments are always convinced that mass opposition to their policies is the result of fiendish machinations by 'extremist' agitators, but Wade's fit of jitters was silly even on the evidence of his own letters."
I guess I knew this already, but I am struck by how much less control the state had in the 18th century compared to now! For example, the government in London tried to make much of Scotland's trading illegal, but it was really impossible for them to stop the smuggling. On another economic issue, it's interesting that the Hanoverian government in the first half of the 18th century lowered progressive taxes and raised regressive ones (much as the Swedish government has done in the last 30 years, heh), while still managing to convince the general populace that the poor oppressed French had it worse, tax-wise, which in fact was not the case.
Besides giving general depth and background for fic writing (which is very useful!), I have also gleaned some more specific useful things. For example, the colonel of Keith's regiment, James St Clair, came from one of the many Scottish families who hedged their bets: he himself served the Hanoverian government, but his father and brother were attainted in the '15, and they only kept the estate in the family by signing it over to him, probably with backdated documents. Which makes me wonder what he would do if the war went the other way.
The Jacobite Risings in Britain 1689-1746 by Bruce Lenman (1980)
You might wonder whether I have not read enough yet about a historical conflict where I sympathize politically with neither of the sides, but apparently not! Of course it's because of my fannishness about Flight of the Heron, but also I suppose many things just become more interesting the more you read about them. This book is pretty great, actually!
Lenman is often very snarky, which makes it fun to read. Sometimes he makes snap judgments about people without really justifying why, which can annoy me, but his snark is at its best when he aims it at social structures or people in power. An example: "The jobbery and pressures used to expedite the progress of the Treaty [of Union with England in 1707] through the Scots parliament would appear to have been little different from the behavior which was standard government practice in the 18th century. It was perhaps neither less nor more reputable then the practices of government in late 20th century Britain, another patronage-ridden society." This one is also pretty great: "All governments are always convinced that mass opposition to their policies is the result of fiendish machinations by 'extremist' agitators, but Wade's fit of jitters was silly even on the evidence of his own letters."
I guess I knew this already, but I am struck by how much less control the state had in the 18th century compared to now! For example, the government in London tried to make much of Scotland's trading illegal, but it was really impossible for them to stop the smuggling. On another economic issue, it's interesting that the Hanoverian government in the first half of the 18th century lowered progressive taxes and raised regressive ones (much as the Swedish government has done in the last 30 years, heh), while still managing to convince the general populace that the poor oppressed French had it worse, tax-wise, which in fact was not the case.
Besides giving general depth and background for fic writing (which is very useful!), I have also gleaned some more specific useful things. For example, the colonel of Keith's regiment, James St Clair, came from one of the many Scottish families who hedged their bets: he himself served the Hanoverian government, but his father and brother were attainted in the '15, and they only kept the estate in the family by signing it over to him, probably with backdated documents. Which makes me wonder what he would do if the war went the other way.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-06-06 11:48 am (UTC)