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[sikora]

Anybody read it?  I'm a third of the way in.  I keep thinking I don't like it, but then I do.  It's fun to read alternative views of Washington and Jefferson. 

[larryc]

Mark Carnes edited a book, Novel History where historians review historical fiction, and the authors of the fiction then respond. Burr is one of the books that gets the treatment, though I do not recall what historian reviewed it. I do remember that Vidal vigorously defended every single thing in his book, including his description of Washington as having a huge fat ass.

[marlborough]

Joanne Freeman did the essay on Burr for the book. 

I just try to triangulate among biographies and fictional treatments.  When I read Ron Chernow's _Hamilton_, I went and found Nancy Isenberg's _Fallen Founder_ about Burr.  Each was a little too much in love with his or her subject (something that A.S. Byatt's novel _Possession_ deals with in the cleverest way I've ever seen), but I have to imagine that the real people lie somewhere in between them.  I do the same with Jefferson and Adams, Gladstone and Disraeli, all the great pairs.

Gore Vidal's wit, though, is fun to read in any event.  I've known many people who fit his narrator's description of Davy Crockett:  "He is considered a delightful figure. I can't think why."

[sikora]

Mark Carnes edited a book, Novel History where historians review historical fiction, and the authors of the fiction then respond. Burr is one of the books that gets the treatment, though I do not recall what historian reviewed it. I do remember that Vidal vigorously defended every single thing in his book, including his description of Washington as having a huge fat ass.

And a carbuncle, too.  Ouch. 

I am enjoying who Vidal humanizes these demigods.

I'm not a historian, although I think history tremendously important in my work, if I ever get to do it again.  My mother is a historian, and just to tease you, she is a rather famous one in her field.  Shortlisted for the Pulitzer in biography. She was also married to a very important historian, and the co authored some books. But we don't have the same last name, not even close.  But I boast ramble too much, so...

I must enjoy historical fiction, because I loved The Volcano Lover, too.

[larryc]

I just picked up The Shadow Catcher by Marianne Wiggins, a novel based on the life of Edward Curtis. So far it is pretty good, she is a wonderful word smith. I don't know The Volcano Lover. I loved liked Russel Banks' Cloudsplitter. A brilliant 400 page novel of of John Brown, though it was unfortunately 600 pages long.

[collegekidsmom]

I personally, even though I am no historian, am obsessed with the details of the duel between Hamilton and Burr(and dueling in general at that time). I find this whole thing fascinating for some reason. So, I read every book or article about that part of the Hamilton/Burr story. So sad that Hamilton's beloved son had also been killed in a duel just before-
Walk the paces, turn and shoot. Of course, certain words could not be uttered about someone without the possibility of being called out to duel. Never call a man a "scoundrel," for instance...
Dueling was legal in Jersey at the time, but not New York.
When the Vice President and the Secretary of the Treasury are shooting at each other in Weehawkin, that's a day to remember-anniversary is this week-204 years ago I think.

[marlborough]

I liked the Volcano Lover, but I've had a soft sport for Horatio Nelson for a long time (British military history will do that to you).  Sontag really captured the sort-of triangles:  Nelson-Emma-Sir William/Nelson-Emma-Heroic Death Wish.  She internalized the existing writing, stripped off the "public" sense of the diaries and seemed (at least to me) to have found a reasonable, believeable voice for these people.

Incidentally, I was at the Maritime Museum in Greenwich for the Trafalgar anniversary and the big Nelson displays (he was a little tiny person--they still have his bloodstained clothes).  The projected-on-a-map-table animation of the battle was run in alternating French and English versions every 20 minutes.  The English version had the usual BBC cast (Brian Blessed, et al) doing very manly readings from documents and dramatizations.  The French-language version was done entirely by a whiny, bored woman.  Conspiracy?  Hmmm.

I also liked Cloudsplitter--Banks was so good with contemporary dialogue (Sweet Hereafter/Affliction--which were amazingly good movies), and then he turns out to have a great 19th century ear, too.

I just finished Mr. Adams' Last Crusade about J.Q.'s second career in the Congress, and one of his big causes was anti-dueling in D.C., which in the sectional wind-up, became a huge deal between northern "cold-fish" and southern "honor". 

[sikora]

I LOVE what Vidal has done with Jefferson!  I'm a bit of an iconoclast at heart, so I am really enjoying this book now.

[larryc]

How about a CHE book club focused on historical fiction?

[marlborough]

That would make me very happy.  I've been looting the local library all summer.  I have a particular weakness for historical mysteries--I really like those in which the detection and motivation are distinctive to the time and place (i.e. what makes someone murderous in 1950s Dublin is different than what would make another person snap in 17th century Japan or 8th century Ireland, with justice methods appropriate).

And big whopper sagas.  I miss Gary Jenning and James Mitchner tremendously.  Edmund Rutherford just isn't keeping up with my epic history novel jones.

[doctor_torrseal]

Dueling was legal in Jersey at the time, but not New York.
When the Vice President and the Secretary of the Treasury are shooting at each other in Weehawkin, that's a day to remember-anniversary is this week-204 years ago I think.

The Republic's really gone downhill.  Our Vice Presidents can't even shoot people properly anymore.

[reader2]

Eudora Welty's short story "First Love" is (loosely) about Aaron Burr. It's a really great little tale.

[larryc]

A few years ago I taught a course on Thomas Jefferson. It was great fun and we used Jefferson's life to examine Virginia history, slavery, the Revolution and the early Republic, as well as the way that history is remembered and distorted. A course on Burr would be just as much fun to teach.

[sikora]

I've finished Burr, and have now moved on to High Fidelity. Not historical fiction.

I enjoyed Burr very much, especially Vidal's depiction of historical fiction and the political tensions of the 1830s.