General Chat

Well, I am utterly delighted but I wouldn't mind betting I am alone in this delight.

LF Salzman's book 'Industries of the Middle Ages' is now free to read on-line, 'English Life in the Middle Ages' has been available for ages.

See, I knew it was only going to be me.

Does anybody know why nobody wants to stand next to me in the pub?!

You ought to think about doing an OU course :-)

Will that make people talk to me in the pub?

Maybe you should buy a round or two Sharron :-D

WHAT!

LOL I know right!

I suppose I should learn about football and then drop in a bit of medieval when I have them hooked.

Might be a starting place....would love to hear that conversation though..the off side rule and how medieval life affected it.

Get a copy of J R R Tolkiens "Middle English Reader" and work through it. It is not that hard especially if you can understand old rural English of the Weald and the South Downs. Then you can rub shoulders with the history boys.

Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" are a lot more saucy in M.E.

good luck

And why, pray, would I want to read Tolkein?

He was the world authority on all things Middle English esp history, language and culture. Yr post suggested an interest if ephemeral.
Maybe you had better stick with Ladybird.

Maybe you should learn to differentiate between medieval and Saxon.

Must have a look at what Eric Hobsbawm says about it.

I think Rollo is suggesting you teach yourself how to read Middle English. Then you might be able to understand the original source texts for your Medieval History. :-)

An OU course wouldn't necessarily help you to share your enthusiasm in the pub; it could put you in contact with people who do!

I think Rollo is just trying to show us what a clever boy he is. Isn't he always?

Like Latin and French, if I have the gist of what is written, I can pick the bones out of Middle and Old English.

Rollo, I think you'll find - if you've ever read Sharron's previous posts properly, that she has rather more than an 'ephemeral', interest in things Medieval :-P

Ahh remember the Cog ship?

Just asking if you have read The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer. A nice bit of informative light reading Sharron. I have all his books and he is a very good, entertaining historical writer

You clearly have not grasped the concept of 'sad old git'.

They sound like an interesting read, if only I read fiction and I would urge you to have a look at those I have mentioned by LF Salzman if you have an interest in the middle ages. I think he is magical.

I think that, having had to live within my mad mothers imaginary world, I always needed to keep a firm hold of reality to survive, so I just never started reading fiction.Now I really have to force myself to do it.

In an effort to be a bit normal I have forced myself to read some, Lorna Doone, a political comment if ever I read one, some of Dickens , every one political, Cold Comfort Farm which made me realize that I was the child of (Fred) Adam Lambsbreath!

I would rather spend an afternoon with my head in the abstracts from the Court of Sewers.

Tell me again why people don't want to sit with me in the pub.

Cos you don't buy a round told you before! :-D

I have just Googled Ian Mortimer and am thinking that I might have a look at something he has written.
I have not come across him before. Thank you for pointing him out to me.

My pleasure Sharron I have just ought his guide to Restoration Britain but haven't got around to starting it yet