History? Boring?

Now boring is something we all do on a regular basis - at work, on a train, at family gatherings, we all do it (I even sat through Star Trek: The Motion Picture once). However, a question somebody asked me the other day got me thinking about the nature of boredom;

"Why do you want to study Roman power
and culture? It's so boring!"

Culture, identity and power in the Roman empire is far from boring. I have always enjoyed a good story (who doesn't?). Stories of faraway lands and people, stories of the good and the bad, of ancient civilisations, (and of alien civilisations) new and old, big and small, everyone loves a story. And this was the basis for my argument for why I am far from bored by my studies and frankly, my total incomprehension of anyone else finding it boring either! The fact that other people do find it boring makes it clear the boredom is subjective. But why is something that I find riveting able to send some people to sleep (or even prefer death)?


Maybe there is something odd in my love of history?


I think not (not that I'm not odd, I take pride in that); there are so many people who like history that there are TV channels dedicated to it, film studios gamble on the public's love of historical epics, Dan Brown managed to sell a couple of books. Even the person who told me Roman culture is boring will quite happily watch Gladiator or read historical novels. Of course the history in films, books TV shows has long been acknowledged as being questionable, but that is not the point.

If it was history itself which was boring, so too would be programmes, films and books about it.

I think it is rather that films and books present history in an easily digestible form which need not be questioned to be enjoyed; things which seem boring are merely misunderstood or perceived as tiring to grasp. My friend might blanch at the thought of Suetonius or the Satyricon, but once past the cover (and accuracy, bias and translation problems aside), I expect she'd find it a riveting and scandalising read!

As it happens, someone else told me recently that Star Trek: The Motion Picture improves with subsequent viewings and that the effects were actually quite good for its time. Guess I'd better make the effort then!

-CariadBach-