/u/HighwireAct's posts in /r/AskHistorians

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Did Shakespeare really "invent" all of the words and phrases he purportedly did, or did his work just contain the first written record of them?

229 upvotes

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Bertrand Russell, in his book “The History of Western Philosophy,” states that “nothing of importance to the world came out of Constantinople except an artistic tradition and Justininian's Codes of Roman Law.” I find that hard to believe; how valid is his assertation?

25 upvotes

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What happened to theatre during the Dark Ages, and why is there such a large absence of notable playwrights from that period?

17 upvotes

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In his piece “The Conquest of Paradise,” Kirkpatrick Sale refers to a concept he calls “the problem of description,” through which early New World explorers such as Columbus and Vespucci had extraordinary difficulty describing their natural surroundings during their travels. Why was this the case?

15 upvotes

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What was the first known example of consistent meter in poetry, and how did it differ from the meter of poetry to follow?

14 upvotes

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Having just watched the film "Whiplash," I can't help but wonder: Who were the most brutal/agressive teachers in history, and who were their pupils?

1 upvotes

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Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Did Shakespeare really "invent" all of the words and phrases he purportedly did, or did his work just contain the first written record of them?	229
Bertrand Russell, in his book “The History of Western Philosophy,” states that “nothing of importance to the world came out of Constantinople except an artistic tradition and Justininian's Codes of Roman Law.” I find that hard to believe; how valid is his assertation?	25
What happened to theatre during the Dark Ages, and why is there such a large absence of notable playwrights from that period?	17
In his piece “The Conquest of Paradise,” Kirkpatrick Sale refers to a concept he calls “the problem of description,” through which early New World explorers such as Columbus and Vespucci had extraordinary difficulty describing their natural surroundings during their travels. Why was this the case?	15
What was the first known example of consistent meter in poetry, and how did it differ from the meter of poetry to follow?	14
Having just watched the film "Whiplash," I can't help but wonder: Who were the most brutal/agressive teachers in history, and who were their pupils?	1