

Two Cheers for the Middle Ages - diodorus
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2015/jul/09/two-cheers-middle-ages/

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ashark
> We think we know him [Fagin]; we don’t hate him nearly as much as his
> creator did.

Dickens hated Fagin? I admit my knowledge of the situation doesn't extend
beyond reading the book itself and a subsequent skim of Wikipedia, but I'd
never have guessed it.

He gives him and Sikes, the other top bad guy, the two most affecting,
sympathetic, and _human_ scenes in the whole book, plus plenty of others that
probably wouldn't be there, or would be very different, if he _hated_ either
of them.

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baldfat
As a former Masters Degree Historical Theology student this is really a long
time coming.

If you look at Jewish, Muslim and my favorite Lithuanian history during these
times you would be shocked at how awesome it was.

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cb18
Interesting, what are some the standout awesomeness from these cultures in
your opinion? What about Lithuanian history from this time makes it your
favorite?

I'm vaguely familiar with mathematical development in the Islamic Golden Age.

~~~
baldfat
Lithuania really was an amazing society. Lithuania for a time was the largest
state in Europe.

1) Co-operation with Poland where the two countries partnered successfully for
a long time and than out neccesity. Prior to that they partnered with
Ruthenian (Ukraine and Belarus) were the majority of the feudal rural workers
were free.

2) Freedom of Religion - Jewish, Pegan, and Christian lived in Harmony well at
least better than any other nation I know of during this period.

3) Cool stories of Teutonic Knights and the Golden Horde which were both
victories and defeats.

4) "Noble democracy" int he 17th Century was well before USA
Republic/Democracy of the 18th Century.

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sgt101
I'm pretty sure that where it says "and jeering Jewish onlookers as in the
Quentin Matsys Ecce Homo now in Madrid or the nasty hags at the Circumcision
in a French manuscript of circa 1400. "

It means crucifixion, but a spell checker has intervened.

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jonah
I think circumcision is correct.

Do a quick image search on those keywords and you get things like this:

[http://hbpub.vo.llnwd.net/o16/video/olmk/holt/lipton/6-11.jp...](http://hbpub.vo.llnwd.net/o16/video/olmk/holt/lipton/6-11.jpg)

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ableal
I was asking myself why not the traditional three cheers, then I noticed the
review was about three books, the third not being cheerful. Well, two out of
three isn't bad, if I may coin a phrase.

~~~
ashark
It may be a reference to the essay "What I Believe" by E.M. Forster.

From WikiQuote:

"Two Cheers for Democracy: one because it admits variety and two because it
permits criticism. Two cheers are quite enough: there is no occasion to give
three."

The phrase provided the title _Two Cheers for Democracy_ to the book that
later collected it and other Forster essays.

