I will make time to check out 'On Writing', I've always avoided it basically out of snobbery. Still, I bet Stephen King can actually throw a sentence together reasonably well, despite turgid prose and bad themes!
If you haven't read it, I'd also recommend the essay "Politics and the English Language" by George Orwell. You can even read it online for free: http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm (or for a couple of bucks at pretty much any second hand bookstore, as part of a collection of Orwell's essays!)
You have also called my bluff on history. I don't actually have a 'history degree', I have an Asian Studies degree with majors in Asian History & Indonesian. I shorten that to 'history degree' cos it gets more mainstream approval, and most computer people don't care less about the difference. It gets less negative responses than 'arts degree'.
So, most of the non-Southeast-Asian history study I've done has been historiography (theory of history writing.) A lot of which borders on the deconstructionist stuff that you posted the discussion of, today. So, given that you seem to be interested by that, I'll try and remember some good reads or at least ideas...
Max Weber's Ideal Type is an interesting idea, and an important one in the history of postmodernism's precursors. I also find it a useful conceptual tool to keep in mind when generalising or reasoning. I can't remember the name of the essay of his that I read, sorry, but there are a few linked from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideal_type
I've only read a chapter of Foucalt's early work Discipline & Punish but I'd like to go back and read the rest. It's pretty heavy going though, from memory (translation from French doesn't help.) His ideas are really interesting and influential (at least the ones I can follow.)
Orientalism, by Edward Said. This is, from memory, another really dense book but it also has some really illuminating and rewarding sections in it.
The best "real" history book that I've read since uni is probably Howard Zinn's Peoples History of the United States. It's politically fairly extreme, and unashamedly biased. It's the unashamedly biased part that I really like about it, even though I don't always agree with the politics. I think it's both healthy and honest for an author to give up any pretext of being "unbiased" or "objective" and admit "this is my theory, this is what I believe, here is my thesis laid out, make your own mind up." Which is exactly what he does.
Homage to Catalonia, also by Orwell. Not really a history, but a personal account of a historical time.
History of Modern Indonesia, by Adrian Vickers. A very readable history of Indonesia.
I'm actually embarrassed at how few other authors and book names I can remember. I know that in my notes and reading bricks there are some really good books and articles, but I can't remember any names...
I will make time to check out 'On Writing', I've always avoided it basically out of snobbery. Still, I bet Stephen King can actually throw a sentence together reasonably well, despite turgid prose and bad themes!
If you haven't read it, I'd also recommend the essay "Politics and the English Language" by George Orwell. You can even read it online for free: http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm (or for a couple of bucks at pretty much any second hand bookstore, as part of a collection of Orwell's essays!)
You have also called my bluff on history. I don't actually have a 'history degree', I have an Asian Studies degree with majors in Asian History & Indonesian. I shorten that to 'history degree' cos it gets more mainstream approval, and most computer people don't care less about the difference. It gets less negative responses than 'arts degree'.
So, most of the non-Southeast-Asian history study I've done has been historiography (theory of history writing.) A lot of which borders on the deconstructionist stuff that you posted the discussion of, today. So, given that you seem to be interested by that, I'll try and remember some good reads or at least ideas...
Max Weber's Ideal Type is an interesting idea, and an important one in the history of postmodernism's precursors. I also find it a useful conceptual tool to keep in mind when generalising or reasoning. I can't remember the name of the essay of his that I read, sorry, but there are a few linked from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideal_type
I've only read a chapter of Foucalt's early work Discipline & Punish but I'd like to go back and read the rest. It's pretty heavy going though, from memory (translation from French doesn't help.) His ideas are really interesting and influential (at least the ones I can follow.)
Orientalism, by Edward Said. This is, from memory, another really dense book but it also has some really illuminating and rewarding sections in it.
The best "real" history book that I've read since uni is probably Howard Zinn's Peoples History of the United States. It's politically fairly extreme, and unashamedly biased. It's the unashamedly biased part that I really like about it, even though I don't always agree with the politics. I think it's both healthy and honest for an author to give up any pretext of being "unbiased" or "objective" and admit "this is my theory, this is what I believe, here is my thesis laid out, make your own mind up." Which is exactly what he does.
Homage to Catalonia, also by Orwell. Not really a history, but a personal account of a historical time.
History of Modern Indonesia, by Adrian Vickers. A very readable history of Indonesia.
I'm actually embarrassed at how few other authors and book names I can remember. I know that in my notes and reading bricks there are some really good books and articles, but I can't remember any names...