New Book on Revolutionary and post-Revolutionary France

Just in time for something to think about while you’re writing about the Revolution and studying for your test: a review of a new book on a woman who saw the Revolution and Napoleonic age from awfully close-up. The biography includes her connections to the English Enlightenment, American Founding Fathers, the political turmoil of the Revolution, Napoleonic and post-Napoleonic years. Fascinating stuff.

Extra Credit Op.: PSU Jazz

The 35th Annual PSU Jazz Festival happens Friday March 6th at 7:30 PM  in Memorial Auditorium, 503 N. Pine. Besides hearing the PSU Jazz 1 and our own Todd Hastings (trumpet) you also can hear a great saxophonist, Eric Marienthal.
Eric is a former member of the Grammy Award winning Chick Corea’s Elektric band and the Rippingtons. Currently he is first call L.A. and can be heard on numerous sound tracks as well as with the Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band.
Eric records with Peak records and has produced some 11 albums. His sounds have topped the Contemporary Jazz Charts on several occasions.
Tickets for the event are available at the PSU Ticket Office or at the door. The cost is $12.00 adults and $10.00 for those 65 and over or 12 and under.
During the day groups will be performing in McCray, the Student Center, and Memorial Auditorium. These highs school, middle school and community college groups are being judged on their performances. The daytime events are free so step out of your office and catch some great jazz.

Long Essay Assignment: History of a Place

The detailed assignment for the Long Essay is now available. It is a deceptively simple-looking assignment, but what I’m really asking you to do is think carefully about how the region you pick has been affected by, and played a role in, world history over the last five hundred years. But many people, over the years, have underestimated what I was looking for, and just given me an encyclopedia-style chronological, and boring, century-by-century, dynasty-by-dynasty description. That’s not the point. It’s an interesting project, and I often learn a great deal from reading student essays about places I’ve not studied in depth.

Machiavelli’s The Prince reviewed

The Wall Street Journal has a nice review of the old classic, including some good background history. Turns out I was wrong about his career. Not sure where I got the wrong information, but just goes to show that you can’t believe everything I say….

For even more detail, the New Yorker review of a biography of the man has pages and pages. Oddly, neither explicitly takes the position that I do: that Machiavelli is a classic Renaissance Man; His second career as a dramatist and historian pretty much seals that judgement.