seema commented on a post
just wanted to point out that the Historia Augusta, a collection of imperial roman biographies that the authors use as a source, is a pretty debatable source when looking at its reliability, and that in general ancient biographies have to be handled with care, because the goal of the ancient biography was different than what it is now (they often had very moralistic goals, e.g. Suetonius, and often invent information to further their ideological aims). i’m not saying that you can't use them as historical sources, as we often don’t have any other options, and they still can contain accurate information, but a roman emperor’s sexuality/sexual practices (and gender identity) is exactly the sort of thing ancient biographers, who didn’t like said emperor, would have created stories about to ruin his reputation or spread gossip about. especially the Historia Augusta is debatable, since it was written near the end of the fourth century, so 100-150 years after the facts recorded in it, and the author pretends to be writing as multiple people, though there is only one author for all the biographies. some academics have deemed Hadrian's biography to be one of the more reliable ones, though. we do know that the author used some historical sources, like Marius Maximus, but it's best to stay skeptical. it's basically as if you used Bad Gays as the definitive historical source for someone's biography: sure, most things might be true, but be careful! i kind of want to assume that the authors have engaged carefully with this source, but i'm not super sure, since their handling of other elements has seemed a bit superficial, and they also did not disclose any of the difficulties that come with handling it as a historical source.
Post from the A Spindle Splintered (Fractured Fables, #1) forum
seema commented on a post
Post from the A Spindle Splintered (Fractured Fables, #1) forum
Post from the A Spindle Splintered (Fractured Fables, #1) forum
seema commented on a post
seema commented on munitum's update
seema commented on a post
View spoiler
seema commented on seema's review of The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World
The concept of reciprocal gift economy is heartening and this book does a nice job in drawing the reader to really expand their view of the various relationships and associated undercurrents of energy surrounding us, and to consider how we can more consciously invest our time and energy into those paths instead of the capitalist model we exist in. I particularly liked the repeated emphasis on indirect gifting and reciprocity and action that nudged away from the direct/immediate/transactional status quo.
I ended up reading this twice - once on audiobook (really struggled retaining with this, which is absolutely a personal difficulty with audiobooks and not a reflection on the book or narration itself), and then again with an eye read. My biggest qualm is honestly that despite two reads I come away understanding the concept and remembering several anecdotes, but feeling like even as short as it is, it could have been significantly shorter still and deliver the same points. I couldn't really differentiate one chapter from another. I believe this originated as an essay, maybe for me personally and my prior familiarity with the central idea of this book that would have been more suitable.
seema commented on a List
All that's left is bones: Books about 𝕯𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍 ☠️
Books about death, dying, grief and what remains.
4





