1. Paul Sturtevant
1.1. Paul B. Sturtevant | Homepage | Paul B. Sturtevant, Ph.D.
1.2. Blog | Paul B. Sturtevant, Ph.D.
1.3. https://twitter.com/Past_Present
1.3.1. Looking at his blog and Twitter, I feel like he is also very "woke" and knowledgeable about many different things. For example, I clicked on his blog post about Hamilton and felt impressed.
1.4. Founder of: https://twitter.com/PublicMedieval
2. Amy Stuartevant
2.1. https://twitter.com/drdarkage
2.1.1. Very active in pop culture and current events (in the US and Canada it seems). This makes me feel like I can trust her more. That she is "in the know." Also, she has her Ph.D. and was a professor. This results in trust that she has high academic knowledge.
2.2. Amy S. Kaufman, Ph.D.
3. Trustworthy?
3.1. Appears to be very knowledge in many aspects.
3.2. I trust them. They bring up common misunderstandings which puts me at ease that I know have proper knowledge.
3.2.1. Absolutely shredding the common misconceptions in a very authentic way.
3.2.1.1. The wording sounds raw and true. Perfect for feeling content with being reassured you're not learning the wrong info now.
3.2.1.1.1. With the authentic and honest tone, it's like speaking to a really smart friend who won't let you down.
3.3. Academic and knowledgeable backgrounds shining through.
3.3.1. Many authors from different times referenced.
4. Argument Styles
4.1. Bring up common ideas and prove them to be myths. They have a way of making you feel like everything you know it wrong and they are the only ones able to show you the truth - or how to find the truth among lies.
4.1.1. Debunking common misunderstandings. This makes the reader feel at ease when they feel like they are now being taught the right way.
4.2. Bring to light "smaller" ideas (what's the big deal?) and prove that these are actually important and historians need to look at everything. Even small details can change the outlook in the era in history.
4.3. Exhibit the "evil" people who have "messed" up our notions and ideas of history. By showing the bad guys, they now seem like the good guys.
4.4. Pop culture references
4.4.1. Feel relatable and in the know.
4.5. Repetition! - This is what we believe = trustworthy + convincing
5. Structure of Chapt. 1
5.1. Common knowledge is often a myth
5.1.1. witch trials
5.2. 1 - Inventing the Past
5.2.1. Renaissance creating the "Dark Ages"
5.2.2. Medievalism seen in games and movies and shows
5.3. 2 - Myth: Nasty, Brutish
5.3.1. life was not short
5.3.2. life was not violent
5.3.3. plague
5.3.3.1. vikings liked to bathe
5.4. 3 - Myth: Uneducated
5.4.1. Modern = Guttenberg
5.4.2. Columbus - exploration
5.4.3. Earth was not perceived as flat
5.4.4. Martin Luther
5.4.5. ** many intellectual pillars we enjoy today were around then - universities (19th cen)
5.5. 4 - Myth: No individuality
5.5.1. norm = religious diversity
5.5.2. popes weren't all powerful
5.5.3. some places (Iceland) don't have kings
5.6. 5 - Myth: The heterosexual male = main
5.6.1. Many examples of smart and powerful women - lacked rights
5.6.2. women and men were often not heterosexual identity
5.6.3. Cross-dressing and gender non-conforming existed
5.7. 6 - Myth: White and Christian
5.7.1. non-white exists
5.8. 7 - Relevance Today
5.8.1. Still present in today's media + referenced