Tonight I watched "The Civil War" on PBS, well the first two episodes, anyway. I had seen parts of it several years ago. I love history where there are photographs of people. It just makes it so much easier to relate to. I didn't like history classes when I was in school because I didn't care about the precise dates of events; I was much more interested in the stories about people. That's where Shelby Foote comes in. He would tell anecdotes about historical figures (both well known and obscure) in his charming southern voice. I think I developed a little crush on him. He must have been a charming man since he had three wives. Unfortunately he passed away in 2005 at the age of 88. He was one year younger than my father. My father was a bit of a storyteller, too. Anyway, Mr. Foote had the ability to bring history to life and even more, to bring the people involved to life also.
If you haven't seen "The Civil War" it is well worth seeing. I think I'm also going to check out some of Mr. Foote's writings, too.
Have a Happy Monday! Love ya, Susan
6 comments:
oh Susan, I too had a big crush on Shelby Foote...wasn't he just the epitome of Southern gentlemanly charm grace and wit?
And you know that in the South we refer to it as "The War of Northern Aggression" LOL
P.S. Susan, I bought the books written by Mr.Foote about the Civ...errr The War of Northern Aggression and had to keep a dictionary beside me to refer to !!!
He definitely does not write down..
I hated history when I was in high school. I couldn't care less about what happened 100 years or longer before I was born.
But now...well now I love to watch all these types of programs too.
I loved John Adams. Did you watch that?
I'm going to have check my listing for the Civil War show.
Hugs,
Joanne
Oh - I had a history teacher in college who was like that. She just made the classes come alive!
Thanks for stopping by my blog!! Your fair looks like so much fun. I found out history was so much fun after I became an antiques dealer.
Hope you had a great Monday!
Michelle
Susan, thank you so much for the sweet comment you left on my dad's birthday post. He turned 85 day. Your dad would be 89 according to your post. The men of their generation were/are something, aren't they? I'll have to watch for the Civil War. I agree with you about the human interest stories being so much more interesting than dates and such...Donna
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