By Gladys Engel Lang (NHC Fellow, 1983–84), and Kurt Lang (NHC Fellow, 1983–84) Between 1880 and 1930, the art of painter-etching rose to a degree of popularity unmatched before or since. When the tide went out, most of the etchers once acclaimed were forgotten along with their prints–but some were more forgotten than others. Etched … Continued
By Marcus Bull (NHC Fellow, 2014–15) Eyewitness is a familiar label that historians apply to numerous pieces of evidence. It carries compelling connotations of trustworthiness and particular proximity to the lived experience of historical actors. But it has received surprisingly little critical attention. This book seeks to open up discussion of what we mean when … Continued
By Marianne Hirsch (NHC Fellow, 1992–93) Family photographs–snapshots and portraits, affixed to the refrigerator or displayed in gilded frames, crammed into shoeboxes or cataloged in albums–preserve ancestral history and perpetuate memories. Indeed, photography has become the family's primary means of self-representation. In Family Frames Marianne Hirsch uncovers both the deception and the power behind this … Continued
By James Olney (NHC Fellow, 1980–81) Memory and Narrative presents an elegant, authoritative account of how life-writing has changed over time to arrive at its present form. James Olney, one of the most distinguished scholars of autobiography, tells the story of an evolving literary form that originated in the autobiographical writings of St. Augustine, underwent … Continued
Edited by W. Fitzhugh Brundage (NHC Fellow, 1995–96) This collection presents fresh and innovative perspectives on how southerners across two centuries and from Texas to North Carolina have interpreted their past. Thirteen contributors explore the workings of historical memory among groups as diverse as white artisans in early-nineteenth-century Georgia, African American authors in the late … Continued
During the past several weeks I’ve been drafting some thoughts I’ve had for a number of years regarding the way we learn from nature and from other people’s thoughts and writing. My Humanities Moment is a poetic description of a memory I had that was prompted by a poem from Alfred Tennyson — “Flower in … Continued