tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687975489922145220.post1855387131277529595..comments2023-08-10T04:03:44.387-04:00Comments on This Book and I Could Be Friends: On History, Narrative, and EpilepsyEileenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11058705381647529328noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687975489922145220.post-31221004081221177672009-09-26T12:42:44.294-04:002009-09-26T12:42:44.294-04:00What a great, thought-provoking piece! Resisting ...What a great, thought-provoking piece! Resisting the temptation to make small moments count for more than they realistically can or should is probably especially difficult for biographers because the subjects <em>themselves</em> often build up personal mythologies, which they might even believe, but which are still not the whole story. <br /><br />Of course, there is really no "whole story" that can ever be told about an individual, but I agree - trying for holism & balance is better than making talismans of particular moments in a person's life. It reminds me of a lecture by Greil Marcus on how we tend to do the same thing in the study of music history: romanticize individual moments as THE turning-point that ushered in a new era or philosophy of music. (The Ramones opening at CBGB, the Paris premiere of Stravinsky's <em>The Rite of Spring</em>, etc.) But the truth is that most new movements and ways of thought come on gradually, in myriad ways, and this conveniently romantic moment-based history ignores a lot of fascinating complexity.Emilyhttp://www.eveningallafternoon.comnoreply@blogger.com