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A review by ameeth
A Primer for Forgetting: Getting Past the Past by Lewis Hyde
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
This book is a brilliant and truly explorative dive into the values of forgetfulness and it's entanglement with memory. A must read!
I enjoyed Hyde taking a break from the standard academic argumentative thesis defense, and ruminating with loosely guided segments. I believe it had the bonus effect of better serving the subject matter's slippery nature. While this structure inevitably gave way to some arcs/chapters that resonated less, the overall thought-provoking consistency was stunning. Hyde is honestly aware of his own contradictions, and does not fight them.
By starting at the ancient and mythological roots of memory/forgetting, Hyde exposes the more negative connotations of forgetting as relatively modern- this proves a great foray into presently wrestling with it's meaning and applicability. Other sections I enjoyed: artist perspectives (because now I see/hear these ideas in all art), the complications of nation-making, and Hyde's analysis of actionable justice that "remembers enough to forget."
I enjoyed Hyde taking a break from the standard academic argumentative thesis defense, and ruminating with loosely guided segments. I believe it had the bonus effect of better serving the subject matter's slippery nature. While this structure inevitably gave way to some arcs/chapters that resonated less, the overall thought-provoking consistency was stunning. Hyde is honestly aware of his own contradictions, and does not fight them.
By starting at the ancient and mythological roots of memory/forgetting, Hyde exposes the more negative connotations of forgetting as relatively modern- this proves a great foray into presently wrestling with it's meaning and applicability. Other sections I enjoyed: artist perspectives (because now I see/hear these ideas in all art), the complications of nation-making, and Hyde's analysis of actionable justice that "remembers enough to forget."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime and Racism