I take the world very personally. I take history personally; I want to place myself in the larger context.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I am a historian. With the exception of being a wife and mother, it is who I am. And there is nothing I take more seriously.
Where in the world would I rather be than on the front line of history?
The only reason to keep talking about history is if you are juxtaposing it with the world that we live in today, if you are learning something about our world by looking at the way they shaped their world.
As a child growing up in World War II, I was very moved and stirred by what was going on, but I distanced myself from history. I regarded history as just one more subject.
My perspective is that you should be IN the world, but not OF the world.
I'm a historian in my own mind.
I have some pretty forceful ideas about the world - obviously I do. But I suppose I can only really speak about them from within the protection of a literary form.
What we normally define as history doesn't interest me. It's a constraint.
I guess I feel very strongly that I disagree with the notion of personalizing history and movements and big events.
I'm very comfortable with where history will judge me.