assignment sheet #5 (history 201)
(for february 6 & 8; week 5)
theme: Cultural History
readings :
Richard Marius, Chapter 2: “Thinking about History,” in A Short Guide to Writing about History.
Miri Rubin**, “What is Cultural History Now” in coursepack;
Robert Darnton**, “Peasants Tell Tales,” in coursepack;
abstract instructions:
In part 2 of your Abstract, please provide the theses statement for both articles. For part 3 of your
Abstract, you should show (analyze) how the article by Rubin relates to the article by Darnton. For example,
how does Darnton’s article represents “Cultural History”? In your discussion of the relationship between the
two articles, give specific examples from the readings. This will require you to think about what “cultural
history” actually is. For part 4, you can pull your questions from one or both readings.
assignments:
Look up (and bring to class with you) the definition for the word culture.
reading questions on rubin:

what is “culture”?

what time periods and what subjects have attracted the most attention from cultural historians? and
why?

what is the difference between asking “how was it really back then” and how was it for him, or her, or
them back then”? (p. 81)

how rubin describe the contributions of “french history-writing”?

for foucault, what is the relationship between power and language?

what have cultural historians learned and taken from anthropology?

what crisis did anthropologists encounter in the 1980s?

how did marshall sahlins’ personal experiences influence his academic writing and analysis?

what do the problems and difficulties within cultural history show us about doing history, in general?
reading questions on darnton:

what are the benefits of folktales as an historical source? which groups of people do they shed light
on?

why is it so much more difficult to understand a people’s mental culture than, say, their political or
economic system? what would be other ways to try to examine a people’s “mental world” or
“mentality”?

specifically (in terms of nationality and status or class) who does darnton want to investigate through
the use of folktales?

what does darnton mean when he says that the folktales have a history?

according to darnton the folktales appear to a terrifying irrationality when compared to the
enlightenment (or, “age of reason”)? why?

what effect did perrault and the grimm brothers have on folktales? what is the tension between an
oral culture (folktales) and the printed language?

darnton shows how the harshness of life in eighteenth-century resulted in a high-death rate, which
resulted in numerous re-marriages and thus “step-children”. from there, look at the role of stepchildren in many of the folktales. thus, what do the folktales tell us about tension within french
society?

how were children viewed in eighteenth-century (and earlier) france?

what are some of the recurring themes in folktales?

what are the typical traits/qualities of the “hero” in the french versions of the folktales?

in what ways are the stories rooted in the real world?

how do the same stories vary from one country (say france) to another (say england or germany)?

what purpose(s) did the folktales serve for the peasants?

were the folktales revolutionary? why or why not?

why would it be more difficult to study particular cultures through folktales, now that they have been
printed and published?
notes & reminders :
Please make sure that you have read the chapter by Richard Marius in A Short Guide to Writing about
History, as we will discuss it in class.
I have handed out the instructions for Essay #1. If you did not receive a copy, please get one from
me.
From what I can tell, the book stores are unable to get the version of Moonstone, that I initially
intended to use. Therefore, I am switching editions (and publishers). I will place this edition on order at the
bookstores; moreover, you should be able to obtain it through the commercial bookstores, as well. Here is the
necessary information:
Wilkie Collins, The Moonstone, ed. John Sutherland, Oxford World’s Classics (Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 1999). ISBN 0-19-283338-3.
The easiest way for you to order this particular edition, and ensure that you get the correct edition, is to order
by the ISBN (International Standard Book Number).