Melodrama, Tragedy, Comedy
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Melodrama, Tragedy, Comedy
History is a story, and good teachers are good storytellers. However, the way in which one tells a story can often be more important than the actual story itself. Usually this process is unconscious and largely guided by the textbook framework. Thinking about the consequences of how we frame our stories can lead to some interesting and important insights. Historical units of study can usually be classified as melodrama, comedy, or tragedy. Some topics inherently lend themselves to one type of story (the rise of Hitler and WWII cannot be approached as anything other than a melodramatic struggle between good and evil) while other topics can be classified as multiple types (the American Revolution can be categorized as any of the three types).
The problem with melodrama is that it inherently suggests war or conflict as the only solution is good is to triumph over evil. Comedy and tragedy are much preferable. In the tragic type of story there is a good person (or group of people) that have good qualities and admirable ends but end up getting carried away and taking a good thing too far. Often times this is because they narrowly pursue their own self-interest. The Industrial Revolution seems to fit this mold as many factory-owners, members of Parliament, economists and philosophers (and others) were seemingly trying to help the country move forward, but often ended up getting swept away by their ideals. Malthus, Smith, Mill and others would fall into this category.
In the comedy paradigm people are portrayed as fools that either need to be educated or controlled. This could fit most of the people in the Industrial Revolution as well, as though not as closely as the tragedy paradigm.
The problem with melodrama is that it inherently suggests war or conflict as the only solution is good is to triumph over evil. Comedy and tragedy are much preferable. In the tragic type of story there is a good person (or group of people) that have good qualities and admirable ends but end up getting carried away and taking a good thing too far. Often times this is because they narrowly pursue their own self-interest. The Industrial Revolution seems to fit this mold as many factory-owners, members of Parliament, economists and philosophers (and others) were seemingly trying to help the country move forward, but often ended up getting swept away by their ideals. Malthus, Smith, Mill and others would fall into this category.
In the comedy paradigm people are portrayed as fools that either need to be educated or controlled. This could fit most of the people in the Industrial Revolution as well, as though not as closely as the tragedy paradigm.