ALERT (03/07/2024): Due to a lightning strike, WVPB TV will be off the air in the Bethany/Wheeling area until new parts arrive. Thank you for your patience.
Harpers Ferry is a historic West Virginia city and international tourist hub. But four years ago the national park and surrounding town were devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
When we are first exposed to educational topics that excite and stimulate our minds, the manner with which the information is delivered becomes the template for future learning.
What do I mean? My preference is British.
But, more than British, it must have a glorious British narrator who has gravitas-a certain weight and authority to their delivery and personality. For example, James Galway’s marvelous music history series, Music in Time, had the sparkling Irish charm, but the narrator was a British historian whose voice spoke of deep authority. That’s my quirk and I have to live with it.
Host Waldemar Januszczak’s down-to-earth, almost satiric style takes a bit of an adjustment. From the pointed hair to the use of contemporary slang, Januszczak (a Brit by way of Poland) can come off as trying too hard to reach a younger audience. For example, describing the barbarians’ jewelry as “bling.”
Still, this is a wonderful exploration of an age that has a terrible moniker that implies it was an age of ignorance. I recall trying to research this era’s art and being told by a librarian that there were “many books on Renaissance art.” This is a real attitude embraced by even the most educated among us. Truly sad.
The so-called Dark Ages is a lively age of art that speaks of a vitality, an exquisite artistic capability and has a way of getting communicating its mystic message across the ages.
Delightful bits that we learn:
the rotas square
the secret signs of Christianity
the sources of the many images of Christ
the humble beginnings of the Christian church
barbarian is a misleading term and their culture/art is exquisite
We learn that the horned Viking helmet was a 19th century opera costume invention and had nothing to do with the real Vikings.
This set had two discs and has four episodes. I liked them all, although I did not really care about episode three which presented Islamic architecture (although the intricate decorations are incredible).
Overall, we learn quite a bit about this mysterious age and the host is very engaging.
Hello June's new album Artifacts drops Oct. 6. Songwriter and singer Sarah Rudy says the title refers to "people, places and stories" that "are part of me and are the artifacts of my life."
West Virginia native Richard Hartman's new book "A Night in the Woods — And Other Absurdities of Life" is now available at Taylor Books in Charleston. He will be at Taylor Books on Dec. 4 at 2 p.m. to read selections and sign his book.