h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Here in the UK, there's been a call to throw down statues of people like Rhodes because they were nasty racists. Now I detest racism but I think we should face our history as it is, racism and slavery and everything else. But it's easy to celebrate the bits of history that make your people look good and forget the rest.
Which brings me, oddly enough, to Simon de Montfort. I was wondering about pioneers I could write about and came up with two people who have local connections - Virginia Woolf for the stream of consciousness novel, and Simon de Montfort for the Battle of Lewes and its effect on the English constitution. I settled for asking for a book on the former (I have to request the books I need for research because they're not held in our local library) on the basis that I think Simon de Montfort was a warlord who persecuted Jews. Not a nice democrat. Does that mean that the effect of the Battle of Lewes on the English constitution was invalid? No.
Perhaps I'll give up trying to understand history. It's too confusing!

That brings up an excellent question: are people who influenced history in a way we aren't happy with 'pioneers'? They certainly pioneer some nasty frontiers.

I've written about people I don't like. I'm not as impressed with Robert E Lee as many of my fellow Southerners are. So I wrote snarkily about him in the Guide. He had a pet chicken, so I started there. I think it's important for people to understand the mentality of the antebellum South - but I certainly don't want anybody to admire those people. I want them to holler, 'Never again!' very loudly.

We could probably stand a good, old-fashioned rant about the evils of this Simon de Montfort.

On the other hand, if you can make Virginia Woolf sound interesting, you will deserve a medal. I have never managed to read a whole page of Virginia Woolf's writing without falling asleep. Not making this up. I can read the page, but I can't remember what it said. You could use it for a secret code, for all I can make of it. I have the same problem with Lawrence Durrell... I thought they were the literary equivalent of the Men In Black - you know, with the flashing light?

'You will forget everything that happened in the last five minutes...'

Oh: Isn't Inter-Library Loan a wonderful thing? I'm always making them send down to Mr Carnegie's library in Pittsburgh for some out-of-print thing or other.

I'm not that keen on the stream of consciousness novel either. I prefer a book in which things happen! But there are so many books which I know I've read but about which I can remember little .

Sometimes that means there wasn't much in there worth remembering, I think.

Heck, I tried reading Virginia Woolf and Lawrence Durrell ... it wasn't a success. But I might try again. I like a challenge ...