Inliterature,culture,history,philosophyandartsofclassicalandRenaissanceEurope,acertainthematiceventcanprobablybetracedthroughhowpeoplelearnedtocopewithlife,read,accumulateculturalcapitals,fightideologies,becomesmart,andturnintoahappyman,arealhumanbeing.Inthisvolume,thepathourauthorshavetakenisasversatileaslifecanhavebeen.Exactlyhowpeoplelearnedandwhatsubjectsappearedtothemashavingmostpowerfulimpactonmaterialandspirituallife?Wefollowcontemporarytheoryofculturalstudies,findtracesandgraftsfromtexts,coverasmanymaterialsaspossible,andearnestlydealwithindividualworkandpeople.WehopetoreachconclusionsonhowearlyEuropeanindividualstriedtoblendintoandimprovecommunitylifethroughprivatelearnings.Thejointeffortisadmirableinthatpetithistoireineducationalstudystillhasitssuperbedge:Comparedwiththeself-sustainingvisioningrandhistoricalscholarship,ourvoiceisperhapsmorerefined,allowingmorespaceforintimacy.Anditisperhapsmoreaccommodating,moretolerant.Wecanfallinlovewithhowitmaysound,asifitcomesfromthewhisperinggalleryofDerrideanworkshopofmaterialreality,dialecticaltruth,andFoucault’seffectivehistory.
