Harvard faculty highlight the importance of biographies on infamous historical figures, emphasizing that understanding their complexities offers insights into humanity's darker impulses. Historian Fredrik Logevall posits that transforming these figures into humanized subjects is essential for comprehending their actions. Among recommended readings is 'James Henry Hammond and the Old South' by Drew Gilpin Faust, which explores Hammond's life as a tragic narrative showcasing the consequences of prioritizing race over class in his pursuits, reflecting broader themes in American history.
Writing biographies of bad people is challenging. Somehow monsters must be made to be human and complex if we are to understand why they behaved as they did.
In Faust's telling, Hammond's godawful life is a not-unfamiliar American tragedy. Hers is a pellucid, sympathetic recreation of a brilliant, pathetic, ultimately dejected man.
Collection
[
|
...
]