Saturday, February 18, 2012
Review: Daniele Bolelli, Disinformation blog and "The Filthy Little Atheist Founding Father."
A short essay on Thomas Paine recently appeared under the signature of Daniele Bolelli on the blog of the small independent publishers, the Disinformation Company. Though nicely written, the author repeats some of the most common canards -- some serious, some mere quibbles -- with respect to the scholarship around Thomas Paine. My comments and corrections are below the link to the article here:
http://www.disinfo.com/2011/12/the-filthy-little-atheist-founding-father/
Ms. Bolelli repeats the false claim that John Adams wrote the line (her paraphrase) that "without his pen, Washington’s military victories would have been in vain." The passage appears nowhere in the writings or recorded words of John Adams. It was written by the American poet and diplomat Joel Barlow and appears in a 1792 London edition of Paine's Common Sense with introduction by Barlow.
The author repeats the usual though short-sighted pro-forma "Paine participated in two revolutions."
The statement refers, of course, to the American and French Revolutions and is technically true as far as it goes. But Paine's Rights of Man and Age of Reason were the two works around which the British struggle for freedom of the press raged. Most of the historic legal controversy centered around his writings. So Paine was at the center of at least three revolutions.
Bolelli writes that after Paine published Age of Reason, "the masses hated him." Not really. Certain prominent Federalists used the Age of Reason in order to attack Paine's political ideas and Protestant ministers were expected to condemn him from pulpit and in pamphlet. But Paine's many Antifederalist allies and admirers were not fooled by any of this and the ministers themselves voiced "ALARM" that his Age of Reason was so widely read and influential, especially in schools and colleges. Well, if it was widely read and influential, then the masses couldn't very well have hated him, could they.
The author writes that Paine's works were "among the best-sellers of the 18th century." This is an understatement. No other author of the period comes even close to Paine in number of printings and sales of his works.
Bolelli repeats the perennial lament that had Paine just had the decency to die before Age of Reason, "his place among the pantheon of beloved founding fathers would have been assured." First of all, in American History the "founding fathers" are confined to members of the convention that drew up the US Constitution in 1787, the founders of the country. Paine had already left the continent in order to agitate for liberty in Britain and France. He took no part in the convention and would not be considered a "founding father" even if he died in 1792. Second, Paine's legacy is intact and as permanent as any in existence. His detractors failed.
Daniele Bolelli's essay or blog is an excerpt of a new book entitled 50 Things You're Not Supposed To Know: Religion (The Disinformation Company: 2011), evidently a self-published work? In any case, we wish the author well.
According to the company information page:
"The Disinformation Company is a dynamic, independent media company based in New York City. We are active in book publishing, film production and home video distribution, with well over 150 books and films in our catalog. We are known for working with filmmakers and authors to promote important political, social or cultural issues that are ignored by the mainstream media."
© Kenneth W. Burchell 2012, All Rights Reserved.
http://www.disinfo.com/2011/12/the-filthy-little-atheist-founding-father/
Ms. Bolelli repeats the false claim that John Adams wrote the line (her paraphrase) that "without his pen, Washington’s military victories would have been in vain." The passage appears nowhere in the writings or recorded words of John Adams. It was written by the American poet and diplomat Joel Barlow and appears in a 1792 London edition of Paine's Common Sense with introduction by Barlow.
The author repeats the usual though short-sighted pro-forma "Paine participated in two revolutions."
The statement refers, of course, to the American and French Revolutions and is technically true as far as it goes. But Paine's Rights of Man and Age of Reason were the two works around which the British struggle for freedom of the press raged. Most of the historic legal controversy centered around his writings. So Paine was at the center of at least three revolutions.
Bolelli writes that after Paine published Age of Reason, "the masses hated him." Not really. Certain prominent Federalists used the Age of Reason in order to attack Paine's political ideas and Protestant ministers were expected to condemn him from pulpit and in pamphlet. But Paine's many Antifederalist allies and admirers were not fooled by any of this and the ministers themselves voiced "ALARM" that his Age of Reason was so widely read and influential, especially in schools and colleges. Well, if it was widely read and influential, then the masses couldn't very well have hated him, could they.
The author writes that Paine's works were "among the best-sellers of the 18th century." This is an understatement. No other author of the period comes even close to Paine in number of printings and sales of his works.
Bolelli repeats the perennial lament that had Paine just had the decency to die before Age of Reason, "his place among the pantheon of beloved founding fathers would have been assured." First of all, in American History the "founding fathers" are confined to members of the convention that drew up the US Constitution in 1787, the founders of the country. Paine had already left the continent in order to agitate for liberty in Britain and France. He took no part in the convention and would not be considered a "founding father" even if he died in 1792. Second, Paine's legacy is intact and as permanent as any in existence. His detractors failed.
Daniele Bolelli's essay or blog is an excerpt of a new book entitled 50 Things You're Not Supposed To Know: Religion (The Disinformation Company: 2011), evidently a self-published work? In any case, we wish the author well.
According to the company information page:
"The Disinformation Company is a dynamic, independent media company based in New York City. We are active in book publishing, film production and home video distribution, with well over 150 books and films in our catalog. We are known for working with filmmakers and authors to promote important political, social or cultural issues that are ignored by the mainstream media."
© Kenneth W. Burchell 2012, All Rights Reserved.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Frances A. Chiu on Thomas Paine and the Occupy Wallstreet Movement
Literary and Thomas Paine scholar -- and valued friend of this blog --
Frances A. Chiu has written a fine essay on Paine for the journal of the
Occupy movement entitled The Occupy Wallstreet Journal. Don't miss
it:
http://occupiedmedia.us/2012/01/regaining-common-sense/
Frances A. Chiu has written a fine essay on Paine for the journal of the
Occupy movement entitled The Occupy Wallstreet Journal. Don't miss
it:
http://occupiedmedia.us/2012/01/regaining-common-sense/
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Graham Moore, The Shee, Dick Gaughan, and "Tom Paine's Bones."
There's a new cover of composer/singer Graham Moore's wonderful "Tom Paine's Bones" here:
http://youtu.be/OGd5rqYbt5o
The Shee do a nice job on it. Dick Gaughan's is probably the best known cover of this piece, but I still much prefer the composer's original. I haven't been able to locate Graham's old website, so if anyone has it, please send it along. His DVD entitled "Tom Paine's Bones" is full of the best music you'll ever listen to ... some of it traditional English radical and/or folk pieces ... some of it, like the subject of this blog, music of his own composition. The entire album with samples is available here and it comes highly recommended by yours truly. Best wishes, Graham, wherever you are:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/grahammoore1
[and thanks for another good link are due again to blog-friend and Paine scholar Harvey J. Kaye]
http://youtu.be/OGd5rqYbt5o
The Shee do a nice job on it. Dick Gaughan's is probably the best known cover of this piece, but I still much prefer the composer's original. I haven't been able to locate Graham's old website, so if anyone has it, please send it along. His DVD entitled "Tom Paine's Bones" is full of the best music you'll ever listen to ... some of it traditional English radical and/or folk pieces ... some of it, like the subject of this blog, music of his own composition. The entire album with samples is available here and it comes highly recommended by yours truly. Best wishes, Graham, wherever you are:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/grahammoore1
[and thanks for another good link are due again to blog-friend and Paine scholar Harvey J. Kaye]
Did Paine ever say or write: "Lead, follow or get out of the way."
Followers of this blog will already know the answer to this question. It's been treated here before. But a recent article by essayist and commentator John Nichols of The Nation magazine treats Mitt-the-Mormon's miserable misquote of a few days ago. See:
http://www.thenation.com/blog/165986/tom-paine-would-not-have-approved-mitt-romney
The quote has already been roundly debunked here on this blog:
http://kenburchell.blogspot.com/2011/07/thomas-paine-never-said-nor-wrote-lead.html
but you're excused if you missed it and in case you did, a generous reader contributed what is probably the actual citation:
"We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead people. Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way." George S. Patton, as quoted in Pocket Patriot : Quotes from American Heroes (2005) edited by Kelly Nickell, p. 157
[and thanks to Harvey J. Kaye for the tip-off on the Nichols piece]
http://www.thenation.com/blog/165986/tom-paine-would-not-have-approved-mitt-romney
The quote has already been roundly debunked here on this blog:
http://kenburchell.blogspot.com/2011/07/thomas-paine-never-said-nor-wrote-lead.html
but you're excused if you missed it and in case you did, a generous reader contributed what is probably the actual citation:
"We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead people. Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way." George S. Patton, as quoted in Pocket Patriot : Quotes from American Heroes (2005) edited by Kelly Nickell, p. 157
[and thanks to Harvey J. Kaye for the tip-off on the Nichols piece]
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