Marcus Pomponius Lupus wrote:Somewhat unrelated, but isn't Ginzburg the author of so called micro-storia ? Would you recommend him ?
Salve Lupe!
Yes, Carlo Ginzburg is generally recognized as the inventor of "microhistory." Especially from his book
I Benandanti (translated later with the title
The Night Battles). That's the book which focuses on the folklore of the Friuli region of northern Italy.
I'm with Piscine here. It is best that you read Ginzburg for yourself without relying on anyone else's synopsis. He is really worth the money I paid for his books.
I also recommend reading
I Benandanti /
The Night Battles BEFORE going on to
Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches' Sabbath.
I was first introduced to him through the work of Neo-Pagan authors (like Grimassi) who use Ginzburg's work to justify their claims. After reading Ginzburg I realized that Grimassi was coming
very close to what is called "textual manipulation." Which means cutting quotes short to justify a thesis, while leaving out info which serves as a caveat. (The same thing Margaret Murray did, by the way.)
Vale bene!