Monday, August 14, 2006

Another task from a blog that I read.

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 4 sentences on your blog along with these instructions.

"There were never more than a hundred prisoners there at any time, and after 1908 never more than thirty. Few stayed more than a month or so before being transferred to provincial jails. In February 1917, when the fortress was finally taken by the crowd, the anti-climactic reality of liberating a mere nineteen prisoners (all of them mutinous soldiers imprisoned only the previous day) was not allowed to intrude on the revolutionaries' mythic expectations. The event was portrayed as Freedom's triumph over Despotism."

Yes, you guessed it, I'm studying Russian history! This is from Orlando Figes's A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1924 (1996). An excellent book, and one that nonhistorians can read and enjoy too. Which doesn't happen that often!

But this is lame. I have studying to do, and dinner to prepare. Ciao.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I read that fat book once. It's sort of gory. Good luck tomorrow JP! Your fan club sends its best wishes. God speed!