Mansel

Mr. Mansel seems at ease only when writing about Alexandria, which he does movingly.

On the Eastern Shore Michael Young 2011

Mr. Mansel focuses on three Levantine outposts—Alexandria, Smyrna and Beirut.

On the Eastern Shore Michael Young 2011

Mr. Mansel offers an answer of sorts: The zeal of nationalism . . . triumphed over the 'lust of trafficking' and 'allurement to pleasure.'

On the Eastern Shore Michael Young 2011

Mr. Mansel shows that hostility between ethnic or religious communities was never absent and that the intrusion of foreign governments, represented by all-powerful consuls, was often a major factor.

On the Eastern Shore Michael Young 2011

Mr. Mansel never quite unpacks the central paradox of his narrative: The admixtures making these cities so appealing accelerated their demise.

On the Eastern Shore Michael Young 2011

Mr. Mansel navigates through his cities with uneven skill.

On the Eastern Shore Michael Young 2011

Those quotes are from H.L. Mansel, who also provides a fine heritage for the presumption/affectation of knowledge of creative process and commercial aims in his spurious assertions on Wilkie Collins: No divine influence can be imagined as presiding over the birth of his work; no more immortality is dreamed of for it than for the fashions of the current season.

Archive 2009-06-01 Hal Duncan 2009

Those quotes are from H.L. Mansel, who also provides a fine heritage for the presumption/affectation of knowledge of creative process and commercial aims in his spurious assertions on Wilkie Collins: No divine influence can be imagined as presiding over the birth of his work; no more immortality is dreamed of for it than for the fashions of the current season.

The Assumption of Authority 2 Hal Duncan 2009

The "open" places that Mr. Mansel writes about all became known for cruelty or obtuseness in the 20th century.

On the Eastern Shore Michael Young 2011

In all the tragic events that Mr. Mansel focuses on the political actors were fully conscious that they might be heading toward a cataclysm, but they pressed on, some invisible hand pushing them toward the abyss.

On the Eastern Shore Michael Young 2011