Comments on: Miss Betsey: A Memoir of Marriage, by Eugene Genovese, part I

By: Historiann

Historiann — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 02:58:59 +0000

It’s coming! Current events and my day job have intervened, but I’ll get to it sometime by this weekend, I hope.

By: Mamie

Mamie — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 01:50:06 +0000

Whoaa. Where is part II?

By: human

human — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 20:59:32 +0000

Wow. If there is one piece of information in the world that it would never have occurred to me to dream I would ever be in possession of, it is whether Eugene Genovese was an ass or a tit man.

And yet… now I know.

I’m really not sure what to do with that.

By: Fratguy

Fratguy — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 15:22:23 +0000

1. Aside, of course, from your comments on your Boeuf Bourginion, the asessment of your capabilities is nowhere near the truth.
2. Where is all this talk about “competence” when I get near the dishwasher ?

By: Comrade PhysioProf

Comrade PhysioProf — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 22:28:45 +0000

Oh. HAHAHAH! I am such a dumshitte.

By: Historiann

Historiann — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 20:12:58 +0000

Page numbers.

By: Comrade PhysioProf

Comrade PhysioProf — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 20:01:18 +0000

What are those numbers in your post?

By: Historiann

Historiann — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:27:00 +0000

Widgeon–this is so interesting. You of all people really should read this book–when he writes about your uni, it’s as a place at which he too was alienated and embattled by more conservative historians.

This is why I think he’s someone who has enjoyed always being the outsider. He practically insists on it. Old, white radical history dudes like Genovese were not gratified when women and nonwhite scholars joined the radical history gang and got positions on university faculty. I think the old Marxists were furious at the thought they were out-lefted by the feminists and Latin@/African American studies crowds.

By: Widgeon

Widgeon — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:07:55 +0000

I am at a university where Genovese still casts a long shadow. Many, many tales of misbehavior and egotism told by older male colleagues who clearly long for the good old days. In fact they long for it so much they do all they can to try and keep the “we are outsiders oppressed by feminists and multiculturalists” theme going. As you can imagine I am thoroughly weary of this particular nostalgia. I did meet E. Genovese once as a grad student. We were discussing _Roll, Jordan, Roll_ in our first-year colloquium and he was visiting campus and agreed to come to the seminar. He leaned back in a chair and declared that he hadn’t read the book since writing it. We were supposed to just take in his “great man” aura, but mostly we were confused.
Looking forward to the second installment of the review, and appreciate your balanced approach Historiann.