If you could spend an hour with one historical figure, who would it be?

Girl-Afraid

Least Likely To
One hour in which you could ask them any question/questions at all.

For me I'm torn between Hitler and Jane Austen.

Hitler is obviously a controversial choice, but I would like to see what he was really like. Also ask him the questions we all want to know the answers to.

Jane Austen is one of the most influential writers of decades past, without knowing it she was an advocate for feminism and used romanticism in her books to her advantage.
I would love to ask her questions and pick her brains as it were. Also find out why she turned down so many marriage proposals and stayed single all her life, despite her novels being full of love and marriage.
 
bettie-page-leopard-tarzan-costume.jpg
Bettie Page.
 
One hour in which you could ask them any question/questions at all.

For me I'm torn between Hitler and Jane Austen.

Hitler is obviously a controversial choice, but I would like to see what he was really like. Also ask him the questions we all want to know the answers to.

Jane Austen is one of the most influential writers of decades past, without knowing it she was an advocate for feminism and used romanticism in her books to her advantage.
I would love to ask her questions and pick her brains as it were. Also find out why she turned down so many marriage proposals and stayed single all her life, despite her novels being full of love and marriage.

I'd stick with Jane Austen.

Hitler... here we go again... hahaha... I DO understand your interest in him, being that you are a sociology major. But I think the meetup would be disappointing at best for several reasons. First off, he didn't speak English. And it is my understanding that you speak no German. Stuff would be lost in translation. But that is minor compared to the next obstacle. Do you really think he would have an honest insight into his own psychopathology? I don't. And lastly, even if he was aware that he was a nutjob, would he be willing to share all the nuances with you, or anyone? The monster was a narcissistic psychopath... and an ugly one at that! I like this description by Arthur Koestler, written in 1942, “His face in those early years...an unshaped pudding with a black horizontal dot, came to life as the lights of obsession were switched on behind the eyeballs.”

There is that word pudding again. :D

Your post made me revisit my curiosity with the Holocaust. I found a great review, written by Christopher Hitchens, for a book titled, Hitler: 1889-1936 Hubris. My local library has the book, so... I placed a hold on it. I hope to have it in my paws by Wednesday. Maybe if you read it too, we can compare notes. :)
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
I'd like to spend an hour with Christopher Hitchens (13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011).

9440636330_6eaf93afac_o.jpg


I'd give him a hug and tell him how much he is missed by me and so many others. And how grateful I am that I was alive... and awake... during his last years of life... when he made such an impact and opened so many eyes.
 
Caleb George I***t. 40956. Rifleman, New Zealand Rifle Brigade. Killed in action 05 December 1917 at the (forgotten) Battle of Polderhoeck. How were you killed? I need to know. Who is that other uniformed man beside you in the photograph?
 
Caleb George I***t. 40956. Rifleman, New Zealand Rifle Brigade. Killed in action 05 December 1917 at the (forgotten) Battle of Polderhoeck. How were you killed? I need to know. Who is that other uniformed man beside you in the photograph?

I love this :love:
Actually I had completely forgotten about including my relative who died in the Second World War. Frederick F*****n. I would love to know how he died, he was an RAF pilot and there is a memorial to him and a few others in our local museum.
 
I'd stick with Jane Austen.

Hitler... here we go again... hahaha... I DO understand your interest in him, being that you are a sociology major. But I think the meetup would be disappointing at best for several reasons. First off, he didn't speak English. And it is my understanding that you speak no German. Stuff would be lost in translation. But that is minor compared to the next obstacle. Do you really think he would have an honest insight into his own psychopathology? I don't. And lastly, even if he was aware that he was a nutjob, would he be willing to share all the nuances with you, or anyone? The monster was a narcissistic psychopath... and an ugly one at that! I like this description by Arthur Koestler, written in 1942, “His face in those early years...an unshaped pudding with a black horizontal dot, came to life as the lights of obsession were switched on behind the eyeballs.”

There is that word pudding again. :D

Your post made me revisit my curiosity with the Holocaust. I found a great review, written by Christopher Hitchens, for a book titled, Hitler: 1889-1936 Hubris. My local library has the book, so... I placed a hold on it. I hope to have it in my paws by Wednesday. Maybe if you read it too, we can compare notes. :)

I know what you're saying, but I think it's all down to my interest in social and political history. And yes that's probably due to my Sociology studies.
To me, although an evil man, he is fascinating. I just can't get my head around how someone virtually unknown could have such extreme ideas and end up getting an entire country behind him. A country that was then renowned for its forward thinking and modernised economy.
I would definitely love to read that book, may have a look in my local library.
P.s. I do speak a little German, enough to get by ;)

Those who want to meet Jesus might be disappointed as be only spoke Aramaic apparently!
 
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
I know what you're saying, but I think it's all down to my interest in social and political history. And yes that's probably due to my Sociology studies.
To me, although an evil man, he is fascinating. I just can't get my head around how someone virtually unknown could have such extreme ideas and end up getting an entire country behind him. A country that was then renowned for its forward thinking and modernised economy.
I would definitely love to read that book, may have a look in my local library.
P.s. I do speak a little German, enough to get by ;)

Those who want to meet Jesus might be disappointed as be only spoke Aramaic apparently!

There is a part II: Hitler: 1936-1945 Nemesis. Just picked it up from my library. Part I isn't in yet. :( I really should read part I first, no? Maybe I'll just flip through part II. It's thick--1,109 pages.

9454626564_30e435ccfe.jpg
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Claude Monet. As cliché as it is to say you feel better after listening to Morrissey, (cliché it may be but it still works), looking at Monet calms me as much as it thrills me. I get lost in his paintings, and sometimes I dream that I am living in one of his works. He had a hard life prior to becoming famous. In fact, so depressed was Monet at a time when he could not sell a painting and had a family to support, he very nearly committed suicide by throwing himself into the Seine. In Giverny, where he did the vast majority of his finest work, and eventually died in 1926, is my 'heaven on earth'. Indescribably natural beauty. I would ask him to try to walk me through his process. I doubt if it can be explained, but I would try to wrap my mind around it. That would be my pick.
 
Claude Monet. As cliché as it is to say you feel better after listening to Morrissey, (cliché it may be but it still works), looking at Monet calms me as much as it thrills me. I get lost in his paintings, and sometimes I dream that I am living in one of his works. He had a hard life prior to becoming famous. In fact, so depressed was Monet at a time when he could not sell a painting and had a family to support, he very nearly committed suicide by throwing himself into the Seine. In Giverny, where he did the vast majority of his finest work, and eventually died in 1926, is my 'heaven on earth'. Indescribably natural beauty. I would ask him to try to walk me through his process. I doubt if it can be explained, but I would try to wrap my mind around it. That would be my pick.

You might get a chuckle out of this: Amazon Users Review a $1.4 Million Monet Original

Here is one of the reviews...

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful painting, hard to hang. August 6, 2013
By J. Mason

It's a beautiful painting, and I'm glad I purchased it. The only problem I have is that I couldn't figure out where to hang it. Every other day, I ring my bell and wait for my butler to come. "Jeeves, can you please move the Monet to the solarium?" "Jeeves, can you please move the Monet to the library? No, not that library. The one on the third floor." It's a small painting, so finding a space where it can be showcased is difficult.

Well, finally this morning, Jeeves and I figured it out. Would you believe the Monet fits just perfectly over the toilet? It really brings the bathroom together, with the blue stripes on the bowl matching the towels and the fluffy toilet seat cover. My husband says it's a little creepy looking into the eyes of the rosy cheeked L'Enfant as he uses the toilet, but I'm sure he'll get used to it.​
 
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
One hour in which you could ask them any question/questions at all.

For me I'm torn between Hitler and Jane Austen.

Hitler is obviously a controversial choice, but I would like to see what he was really like. Also ask him the questions we all want to know the answers to.

Jane Austen is one of the most influential writers of decades past, without knowing it she was an advocate for feminism and used romanticism in her books to her advantage.
I would love to ask her questions and pick her brains as it were. Also find out why she turned down so many marriage proposals and stayed single all her life, despite her novels being full of love and marriage.


I think that is two very interesting choices. I like your thinking. Never knew that about Jane Austen.
 
Back
Top Bottom