Creighton University Books

The articles collected here were given at a symposium at Creighton University. They seek to show how Jews were represented in the Arts, in Culture, in popular mythology through the ages. The first section deals with the ways non- Jews have seen Jews, the second with the way Jews have seen themselves. There is an article on George Segal's Holocaust sculpture, one on Woody Allen's representation of Jewish characters, another on the famous forgery 'The Protocols of the Elders of Zion'
The article I most focused on was one on Henry James view of the Jews. The author made the argument that there is a connection between the way James saw himself as British- American and as alien, with the way he saw the Jews on the lower East Side of America. However my recollection of James' discussion of the immigrant masses in his work 'The American Scene' left a completely different impression. The passage is one in which James' looks not with sympathy, but with a kind of repulsion at those about to enter American culture. How odd and ironic that one- hundred years later it is fair to say that the Jews have been one of the ethnic groups who have made outstanding, even incredible contributions to America.

The title of this book may lead one to expect a treatise on the legal aspects of female citizenship and the limitations that were placed on them. The book's larger concern, however, is the female reaction to revolutionary policy and the (male) authorities' perceptions (or misconceptions) of them.

Hufton examines the ways in which the limitations on women were based not only on the law as it concerned their status in society, but also on the stereotypes (or "myths") that were believed by those in power. Some of these involved philosophic notions that political activity among women was a dangerous perversion. These and other tenets of a patriarchal society allowed a basic misunderstanding which led to a mistrust of women and their involvement in political life as well as notions that had tragic consequences, such as the belief that nuns were secretly pining away for life with a man, and that once "liberated" would quickly find comfort and security in matrimony. The reality was quite different.

This perception vs. reality is a recurrent theme in the book, and is even extended to the present: Hufton notes that concerning the "October Days" march of women to Versailles, historians then and ever since have tended to downplay the importance of their actions or look for a male impetus. Women of the time, however, were often well aware of the stereotypical conceptions that men held, and used them to their advantage, playing up their whiles and charms (i.e., innocence) when it suited them - for instance, when it kept them out of prison, or away from the guillotine.

This work is culled from a series of lectures given at the University of Toronto in 1989, and retains some of the idiosyncrasies that tend to differentiate lecture from scholarly writing. This has its pros and cons, depending on your point of view. On the upside, the author's sense of humor comes through in puns and wry observations. Some of these asides allow an exploration of themes that are not as central, but in a book of fewer than 200 pages, the end result is a certain lack of cohesion, and the feeling that many ideas are expressed without an adequate exploration of their relevance.

In her review, Therese Taylor complains about the book's "synoptic format" which is a way of noting dismay over this lack of development in some areas. Daniella Sarnoff, reviewing the book for the journal LEFT HISTORY, also blames the lecture origin for a failure of Hufton to fully develop some of the themes that she mentions, yet admires the final assessment that there was a "mythology and legacy that ... kept women out of the public, political sphere for so long in France and continues to have ramifications for women in the public sphere today."

This book is not a linear history of its subject, but rather an overview of Dr, Hufton's varied examinations. As such there are many ideas that do not get proper space, yet those that are sufficiently detailed show insight and are persuasive.

...equal than others. (Animal Farm, Orwell)

The three of five stars rating awarded by the earlier reviewer is unjustified, and its repeat appearance unduly biases the rating of this fine text.

It is indeed top flight, and a copy is worth having for almost all devoted students of protein structure, and mechanisms of enzyme action. Moreover, Prof Creighton certainly has something to offer all students in this area, via this text and his other writings, in part for historical reasons, and in part because his instights still clearly obtain. Essentially always, I'd rather read *him* than *ten reviews about him*, and would encourage my students to do the same.

This is not a really comprehensive book (it cannot be, with its size), but it is very useful as a quick reference or when you need to refresh the basic concepts of protein structure.

This is not a really comprehensive book (it cannot be, with its size), but it is very useful as a quick reference or when you need to refresh the basic concepts of protein structure.

The average whaleman was poor, prejudiced, and liked to drink; capitalist owners were exploitative; sea captains were often harsh and unfair; and sailors didn't often socialize with women in positive contexts. If this comes as a shock, this book might be for you; but to anyone whose read more than a page of nautical history or fiction, Creighton's work doesn't offer much. What it does offer is a joyless and often tendentious study of whaling by a student secure in her modern superiority. Partial to using phrases like "rituals of indoctrination" to describe being dunked in water, and "bourgeois ideals of hygiene" to connote the desire to be clean, Creighton seems to overshoot her mark, suffocating a rather exciting topic under the wet blankets of politicized academia. Do we really need a Marxist critique of an antiquated industry so transparently exploitative? Do we really gain anything by analyzing nineteenth-century sailors under the lens of modern gender and culture studies? (The average white, uneducated sailor from New England didn't find heavy-set Black natives attractive -- astonishing!) One wonders why Creighton even wanted to write this book, as she demonstrates precious little sympathy for her topic. She exhibits neither the contagious passion of an enthusiast over a favorite arcane subject, nor any understanding of possible non-political motives that might have driven some men to the sea to hunt a dangerous prey. (It's not that her sympathies lie with the whales, either. She barely discusses the hunt at all.) While I understand that there's value in clearing the deck of misplaced Romantic illusions, Creighton's study is utterly humorless, and she goes to great lengths to pull her examples from worst-case scenarios. Even her language betrays her distaste -- the captain of a ship is never called "captain," but always "master;" the officers are the "afterguard;" inviting prostitutes onto the ship leads to an "orgy;" and anecdotes of garden-variety racism rate labels like "virulent." Worse, she displays little to no desire to get *inside* the world of men, with its rough humor, sexual frustrations, notions of fraternity and nobility, and spontaneous brutalities. Indeed, much of her account feels like she's studying an alien culture which she has no desire to actually meet. Happily, this adds an occasional bit of unintentional humor. (For instance, after a sailor's diary cheerfully describes a hazing ritual akin to a nautical snipe-hunt, she interprets the following free-for-all water fight as a sign of resistance to being "strong-armed into the sea-faring brotherhood.")

Of course, Creighton's study is not wholly without recommendations. A careful researcher, she does some good work in applying both factual data and common sense to debunk a few whaling myths, and her discussion of homoeroticism among sailors is a welcome topic often "overlooked" in other books on the subject. It's also refreshing to read an account so unilaterally supportive of the sailor's complaints, even if one gets the impression that she doesn't dig too deeply to understand "the other side" of an issue. But her tediously superior tone, her evident moral and political distaste, and her total lack of empathy with her subject do not make "Rites & Passages" a very instructive work, much less an enjoyable one.

This overview of American whaling was by far the best account of the hardships and the social dynamics of the fishery that I have read. It sensitively details the human relationships between sea captain and crew, between sailors and women at home, among the sailors themselves. It also describes the mechanics and challenges of the whale hunt. The author is a wonderful writer, too, bringing the research to life.

This book is trash, I will never, ever suggest anyone
buying this book! Save your money for the other books.

a great book for fuzzy field

Mandell Creighton, a founding father of English late-medieval history was primarily a statesman. As such, his biography of Wolsey concentrates on Wolsey's primary area of expertise: governing. Though a touch idealistic, his relatively short work (one instalment of the 12 English Statesman series) is of use for potential students and general readers aiming to acquire a basic knowledge of his life. Far less detailed than his replacement, A.F Pollard, whose work is probably of more value for historians intending to thoroughly research particular aspects of the period, Creighton provides a thorougly accessible presentation of the man. His work provides a surprisingly similar interpretation to the fundamental revisionism provided by Gwyn in his much larger work. This is a thoroughly Victorian book from a leading Victorian bishop-historian, but deserves to be consulted.

I enjoyed the first half of this book, as it discussed women at sea in the age of sail, and the lives of sailors' wives ashore. The second half, however, tried to examine race and class through a lens of gender -- none of the essays persuaded me of the basic premise that gender was a good way to examine how men regarded each other. The book might have been better had it stuck to its original focus of women at sea and ashore in the Age of Sail.