red, red

red, red.

In response to blogs from Kent and Jim, and some class discussions about history vs other disciplines, or what makes for scholarly historical writing, I still see red. That is a bit of frustration with historians who may shun cross discipline, or writing that does not take on a dirge. Greenfield may not have the PhD, but she is an accomplished writer and her book meets many of the qualifications of a scholarly work. 

Perhaps it is the format or the easiness of her translation of texts and documents in many languages, and epochs that throws her word into a ‘popular’ category. Or even the subject itself, a color. (there is more to this than just alchemy). I think Jim hit it on the nail, or rather, Greenfield has come up with the right mix. Greenfield’s work is not popular, but a cultural history. That may mean that there is a wider audience. Yet, as Carol summarizes there is a great deal of history, politics and economics in the ‘balance’.

Did anyone check out Greenfield’s credentials? Unlike the other authors, especially Mintz, she has a history background. In fact (see below), she wrote another article soon after her book in a ‘foodie’ journal. Part of what I am learning with the studies of commodities is that good scholarship does not have to be wrapped tight in a well bound book from an expensive press from someone in an ivy tower. (Though Greenfield’s Oxford education should at least get her foot in the classic look at historiography)

Again, Jim touches upon this nicely that there are complex issues addressed, intricate European histories and yes, even the newer perspectives of historians and scholars to bring forth people other wise forgotten or marginalized by previous generations of historians.

The Perfect Red is a perfect historical narrative. The bibliography and footnotes display a wealth of hard work done by Greenfield. Although she has written for over decade in the YA historical fiction genre, she is most certainly a history scholar. I hope that she will write more scholarly work, especially about the rich cultural aspects of world history. 

http://www.jstor.org.mutex.gmu.edu/stable/pdfplus/10.1525/gfc.2007.7.1.25.pdf?&acceptTC=true&jpdConfirm=true

Accessed today through the George Mason library database.