Talk:The Newgate Calendar

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Latest comment: 2 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

I've read only abridged versions, but the main body, especially the 4th para, reeks of 'presentism' and arguably gives a false impression of the Calendar as a political tract. As regards drunkenness, gambling, extravagance and unspecified 'dissipation' and 'vice', they're common precursors to crime and it's reasonable that the Calendar makes an attempt to show the proximate causes of crime. But primarily, it's a work of its time. The French get a bad press because they were then longstanding rivals and enemies of Britain. Attitudes toward Catholics reflect the times, no matter how dated they seem now.

I'm not sure how to fix this, other than to say, as I note above, that it's a document of its time. We read (for example) the works of Jane Austen, with their social commentary incorporating prejudices that are equally out of date, without criticizing her for not writing according to modern sensibilities. An encyclopedia that views past events through the lens of 'weren't things awful back then?' is of limited value. Chrismorey (talk) 16:46, 21 November 2022 (UTC)Reply

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