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Title: On the Edge of the Cliff: History, Language, and Practices (Parallax (Baltimore, Md.).) by Roger Chartier, Lydia G. Cochrane ISBN: 0-8018-5436-9 Publisher: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr Pub. Date: June, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $20.95

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Average Customer Rating: 1 (1 review)

Rating: 1
Summary: A Chore
Comment: This book was assigned to my graduate historiography class a few years ago and I found it to be the most frustrating book I've ever tried to read ("tried" being the operative word). Most of the sentences are so long and complex one must read it over and over again and almost word by word to get some meaning from it. That presents a difficult task when a student has mountains of other material to read. It is actually a rather short book, but I dreaded the duty of opening it up and mucking through the long, complex sentences. At first I thought it was a problem with translation, but translator Lydia Cochrane explained in her notes on translation that the French version was just as challenging.

The part of the book that I did find interesting was Chartier's discussion of Michel Foucault's views on the use of "origin" in historical works and Foucault's belief that forces in history respond to haphazard conflicts. I remember quoting a 75-word sentence in my term paper (my computer kept warning me of a run-on), since I certainly was unable to paraphrase.

Those readers who have spent decades reading historical works and would welcome the challenge may find something in "On the Edge of the Cliff" on which to chew. Others, like myself, who are not prepared for such an effort and who believe that clarity in presenting one's ideas is almost as important as the ideas themselves will probably want to jump off a cliff after opening this book.