E. K. Milliken. Lancastrian and Tudor (1949)

     E. K. Milliken. Lancastrian and Tudor (1949; repr.1964) Old schoolbooks remind us of how attitudes and notions of common knowledge have changed, as well as providing glimpses of abandoned pedagogies. An old history book does more: it shows us how our concepts of ourselves as a nation have changed. This book does both. It’s organised in short, sharp chapters with boxed quotes and tables, both obviously designed to simplify the task of deciding what the pupils should be able to regurgitate. The impression of a Gradgrind style of teaching is hard to escape, and the “quick fire questions” in the book reinforce it. But then you read the writing questions, and you realise that this book was not intended as a textbook, but as a crib for both teacher and student. Its summary style assumes extensive lecturing by the teacher, and much student activity, including everything from making models of interesting objects (gunships, for example) through plays and skits, to student presentations. Realising this, one sees also that there are brief digressions from what is apparently the core of the book, which is a catalogue raisonne of people, places and events tied to dates and putative causes. In other words, Milliken assumes that names and dates form the skeleton of history, and that it’s the teacher’s and student’s task to put flesh on that skeleton.
     That being said, what view of British History does Milliken have? He (or she?) assumes that we know what’s right and civilised, even if our present times are not the peak of either ethical behaviour or civilised attitudes. He also assumes that most of British History demonstrates the superiority of the British way of life. But the intention to instill an enthusiastic patriotism does not prevent Milliken from passing sharp judgments on some of the people discussed. The brutality of Henry VIII, for example, gets a sharp rebuke, and Milliken is well aware of the social and economic effects of familial infighting among the nobility
     On the whole, Milliken’s history is one of men (and a few women) and their actions. There is little about the ordinary life of ordinary people, nor of the modern emphasis on technological change that brings about social change because it changes the range of choices available to people. Neither is there the modern belief that all cultures are equal. Some are clearly superior to others, and the European (Western) way of life is the most superior. History is a series of advances and retreats, with advances slowly gaining ground. Milliken’s judgments on art and science are particularly interesting: the Renascence revival of classical art, literature, and science is a high point, and painting and sculpture of that period has never been surpassed.
     Here, history is presented as a body of knowledge. The present doubts about our ability to understand the past are entirely absent. ** (2003)