A Brief History....
Oct. 29th, 2004 10:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
poliphiloWe are very new.
I find this a comforting thought.
When I consider the seediness, depravity, cruelty and greed of humankind, I reflect that we are only beginners. We are still practicing; we haven't worked it out yet; we have time to improve. We have been around in our present form for a few million years- nothing in evolutionary terms- and civilization- the attempt to live in a civil society- is a very recent development.
We have only had writing for about three thousand years.
The written history of my own country goes back (and then only patchily) for two thousand years. If we want to know what happened before that we have to get out our spades and trowels and dig.
Two thousand, three thousand, four thousand years- these are ridiculously brief stretches of time. We have emerged from the forests, blinked and looked around a bit. That's all we have had time for. We are still little more than beasts.
I find this a comforting thought.
When I consider the seediness, depravity, cruelty and greed of humankind, I reflect that we are only beginners. We are still practicing; we haven't worked it out yet; we have time to improve. We have been around in our present form for a few million years- nothing in evolutionary terms- and civilization- the attempt to live in a civil society- is a very recent development.
We have only had writing for about three thousand years.
The written history of my own country goes back (and then only patchily) for two thousand years. If we want to know what happened before that we have to get out our spades and trowels and dig.
Two thousand, three thousand, four thousand years- these are ridiculously brief stretches of time. We have emerged from the forests, blinked and looked around a bit. That's all we have had time for. We are still little more than beasts.
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no subject
Date: 2004-10-29 11:45 pm (UTC)Her books about the simple country people of China in the early days of this century, particularly The Good Earth (which is actually a trilogy, but the first book of the series won the Prize) and Dragon Seed, are just brilliantly written--and lovingly written, with such a wise understanding of people. And her descriptions are superb, as are her plots, and her books to me are the finest kind of fiction writing, which really is telling wonderful tales.
I am trying very hard to convince you, because I would love to share her books!
no subject
Date: 2004-10-30 10:09 am (UTC)Guess I'll go look for her on Amazon :)