All entries for Tuesday 04 April 2006

Research For Essay (Not As Dull As You Think)

Whilst researching for my essay I went to Jstor, the wonderful online source of all ranty essays and articles for the discerning historian. However despite my essay being on the utterly pretentious theme of the effects on Parisians of the changes to their city, I can't help but feel I'm doing the wrong topic. Especially when Jstor revealed such beauties as these!

NB I've not read any of these, that would just be silly...

Sodomitical Inclinations in Early Eighteenth-Century Paris
by J. Merrick (1997)

What's it about? Buggered if I know.

Dies of ban pun syndrome

Illicit Wigmaking in Eighteenth-Century Paris
by M. K. Gayne (2004)

How to make one of the least relevant jobs to the current day sound interesting. Why were wigs illicit? Were they obscene wigs, fashioned in crude, rude and downright lewd shapes? Or were they satirical wigs which sang naughty songs about Louis XV whenever you wore them, thus risking death and other horrible things? There's a good way to find out (read the article) but that would be favouritism and I'm not reading all of these articles…

Sobering Reflections on a Forgotten French Opera Libretto
by W. E. Rex (1983)

Not just any old reflections, sobering ones. Well opera would certainly sober me up if I was threatened with it (or ever drunk for that matter).

The Anonymity of the Milanese "Caffe" 1764–1766
by J. T. S. Wheelock (1972)

Well it would naturally be quite anonymous when you, as I did, did a search for PARIS and not MILAN. Honestly, one city is the same as another it would appear…

Toward a History of Spanish Imaginary Voyages
by M. Z. Hafter (1975)

"My name is Manuel and yesterday I was at work when I sat back for a moment and pretended I was on a cruise ship in the south Pacific…"

Paris, I searched for Paris!

The Fate of French Feminism: Boudier de Villemert's Ami des Femmes
by D. Williams (1980)

Well, everyone else on the blogs is always rowing about feminism so I felt a little left out and needed to mention it.

And thus I hope you've all had an insight into the myriad distractions historians writing essays face. Obviously it could be argued that by blogging it I have gone way beyond the ordinary need to procratinate and you know what? You're right. I'm chastened and off now to read more fascinating but slightly repetitive books on what I secretly find really interesting… I never said I was cool, ok?

: 04 Apr 2006 10:57 |  Tags: History |  Comments (8) |  Close comments |  Report a problem