Booknotes 5.19

Under the Greenwood Tree: A Rural Painting of the Dutch School, by Thomas Hardy, published 1872, fiction, 220 pages. Delightful and occasionally funny. (From what I’ve heard of later Hardy, that may not last.) Enjoyed the carolers, and the core story of Dick Dewy and Fanny Day, and the prose throughout. Still very much looking forward to reading the rest of Hardy’s works. Classics: A Very Short Introduction, by Mary Beard & John Henderson, published 2000, history, 98 pages. It was good for its length and scope, with the temple at Bassae as the entry point for several of the topics. My favorite parts, I think, were those showing what types of discussions classicists often engage in. I also have not thought nearly enough about how slavery in Greece and Rome affected the ancient world. Who Owns History?: Rethinking the Past in a Changing World, by Eric Foner, published 2002, essays, 249 pages. Foner is a historian of Reconstruction (or at least started as one) but these essays cover more…