With high production values, intriguing plots and complicated characters, Lost is one of the best dramas to hit network television in years.
One of my favorite aspects of the show has been trying to discover the meanings behind the names of the principal characters. I first noticed the character John Locke shared a name with an 17th century philosopher. Then I noticed that Jack Shephard was acting as the shepherd to his flock of castaways. Then they introduced the mysterious Frenchwoman Rousseau, named after Jean-Jacques Rousseau, another famous philosopher. I was hooked.
I began compiling a list of all the characters, researching their names and making connections. The primary source for character names appears to be political philosophers — especially those who advocated or criticized the theory of a social contract. Since the castaways are completely cut off from outside society — much like the English schoolboys in Lord of the Flies — they must construct their own political and societal systems. The producers took this theme and ran with it.
You certainly watch the show without reading 17th-century political theory, but it is interesting to get inside the heads of the producers and writers a little bit. By attempting to decode some of the hidden messages in the show, we might get a deeper understanding of the themes Lost attempts to explore.
the castaways
Kate Austen
John Austin (1790 - 1859)
John Austin is best known for his work developing the theory of legal positivism. He attempted to clearly separate moral rules from “positive law.” Austin was greatly influenced in his utilitarian approach to law by Jeremy Bentham. Austin defined positive law as commands from the government that create a duty in the governed and are backed by a threat of sanction from the government should the command not be followed. In this way he defined law primarily in terms of the power to control others.
Source Wikipedia
Boone Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle (December 4, 1795 - February 5, 1881)
His belief in the importance of heroic leadership found form in his book Heroes and Hero Worship, in which he compared different types of heroes. … For Carlyle the hero was somewhat similar to Aristotle’s “Magnanimous” man — a person who flourished in the fullest sense. However, for Carlyle, unlike Aristotle, the world was filled with contradictions with which the hero had to deal. All heroes will be flawed. Their heroism lay in their creative energy in the face of these difficulties, not in their moral perfection. To sneer at such a person for their failings is the philosophy of those who seek comfort in the conventional. Carlyle called this ‘valetism’, from the expression ‘no man is a hero to his valet’.
Source Wikipedia
Obviously, some parallels can be drawn between the idea of hero worship and Boone’s adulation of Locke. By the time Boone dies, he had all but become Locke’s valet.
Ana Lucia Cortez
Juan Donoso Cortés (1809 - 1853)
In his Speech on Dictatorship, Donoso described two different types of repression which he saw as necessary for the survival and maintenance of civilization-political and religious. These two forms of repression must exist in an equilibrium in order to be effective. With a decline in religious repression must come a corresponding and proportional rise in political repression, and vice versa. … All political and religious regimes must be repressive if political and religious order are to endure. Donoso emphasized that the legitimacy of a regime is not based upon heredity, but upon the capacity of a regime to be repressive.
Ana Lucia definitely believed in the power of dictatorship. Her “law” was enforced by the threat of the gun, with disastrous results.
Desmond Hume
David Hume (April 26, 1711 – August 25, 1776)
Hume expressed suspicion of attempts to reform society in ways that departed from long-established custom, and he counseled people not to resist their governments except in cases of the most egregious tyranny. … He believed that we should try to balance our demands for liberty with the need for strong authority, without sacrificing either. He supported liberty of the press, and was sympathetic to democracy, when suitably constrained. … He was also, in general, an optimist about social progress, believing that, thanks to the economic development that comes with the expansion of trade, societies progress from a state of “barbarism” to one of “civilization”. Civilized societies are open, peaceful and sociable, and their citizens are as a result much happier.
Source Wikipedia
Sayid Jarrah
Edward Wādi Sa‘id (November 1, 1935 - September 25, 2003)
Said is best known for describing and critiquing “Orientalism”, which he perceived as a constellation of false assumptions underlying Western attitudes toward the East. In Orientalism (1978), Said described the “subtle and persistent Eurocentric prejudice against Arabo-Islamic peoples and their culture.” He argued that a long tradition of false and romanticized images of Asia and the Middle East in Western culture had served as an implicit justification for Europe and America’s colonial and imperial ambitions. Just as fiercely, he denounced the practice of Arab elites who internalized the American and British orientalists’ ideas of Arabic culture.
Source Wikipedia
The link to Edward Said has been put forth a few times — notably on Lostpedia. But it seems a bit thin to me. He was a political theorist, but he didn’t really delve into governmental systems like all the other namesakes. And hte name is spelled much differently, although pronounced the same. I include this for completeness. I think the translation of his name is a stronger possibility.
Arabic Translation
Sayid (Arabic: سيد ) is a common Arabic name meaning ‘Master’ or ‘Lord’ (Also often used in the Arabic language as an honorary title for addressing respected people and those of higher positions, much like ‘Sir’ or ‘Mr.’ in English). However, Sayid, as pronounced in the show, sounds more like the Arabic name spelled Said (Arabic: سعيد ) which ironically means someone who is happy / cheerful and lucky in life.
Jarrah (Arabic: جراح), originally meant a ‘Cutter’ or a ‘Wounder’ in traditional Arabic, is currently the typical Arabic translation for the word ‘Surgeon’.
Source Lostpedia
Sayid Jarrah = “Master Butcher.” Now that makes sense. A man practiced at torture, who has both renounced its use and given in to the temptation to use it on multiple occaisions.
John Locke
John Locke (August 29, 1632 - October 28, 1704)
The Second Treatise of Government provides Locke’s positive theory of government - he explicitly says that he must do this “lest men fall into the dangerous belief that all government in the world is merely the product of force and violence.” Locke’s account involves several devices which were common in seventeenth and eighteenth century political philosophy — natural rights theory and the social contract. Natural rights are those rights which we are supposed to have as human beings before ever government comes into being. We might suppose, that like other animals, we have a natural right to struggle for our survival. Locke will argue that we have a right to the means to survive. When Locke comes to explain how government comes into being, he uses the idea that people agree that their condition in the state of nature is unsatisfactory, and so agree to transfer some of their rights to a central government, while retaining others. This is the theory of the social contract.
Charlie Pace
Jordan Scott Pace (May 12, 1744 - January 7, 1824)
Pace strongly emphasized the empiricist tradition, and is often seen as the link between David Hume and John Locke. Although his works are for the most part unknown, he is famous for his statement that “Love is irony.” This profound statement was part of a larger syllogism based on 1 John 4:18 citing that true Christian love was the antithesis of love.
Source Allexperts.com
Ah Charlie. “Love is irony” indeed. I keep hoping the writers will do something to make Charlie likable, interesting or both, again. He really hasn’t had too many good moments for the past season or so. Give him a purpose.
Shannon Rutherford
Samuel Rutherford (1600? - 1661)
He was a formidable controversialist, and a strenuous upholder of the divine right of Presbytery. Among his polemical works are Due Right of Presbyteries (1644), Lex, Rex (1644), and Free Disputation against Pretended Liberty of Conscience. Lex, Rex was, after the Restoration, burned by the common hangman, and led to the citation of the author for high treason, which his death prevented from taking effect. It presented a theory of limited government and constitutionalism that laid the foundation for later political philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke and thus for modern political systems such as that of the United States. He advocates a rule by law rather than rule by men and discusses such concepts as the separation of powers and the covenant, a precursor to the social contract.
Source Wikipedia
Jack Shephard
“The Shepherd”
Jack acts as the shepherd and the castaways are his flock. Jack has shown time and time again that he is compelled to lead, compelled to heal, compelled to do the right thing. There also was a notorious thief and folk hero named “Jack Sheppard” in 18th century London, but I’m inclined to chalk that up to coincidence.
the others
The DHARMA Initiative
Dharma
Dharma refers to the underlying order in Nature and human life and behavior considered to be in accord with that order. Ethically, it means ‘right way of living’ or ‘proper conduct,’ especially in a religious sense. With respect to spirituality, dharma might be considered the Way of the Higher Truths. Dharma is a central concept in religions and philosophies originating in India. These religions and philosophies are called Dharmic religions. The principal ones are Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma), Buddhism (Buddhadharma), Jainism (Jain Dharma) and Sikhism, all of which emphasize Dharma (the correct understanding of Nature) in their teachings. In these traditions, beings that live in accordance with Dharma proceed more quickly toward Dharma Yukam, Moksha or Nirvana (personal liberation). Dharma also refers to the teachings and doctrines of the founders of these traditions, such as those of Gautama Buddha and Mahavira. In traditional Hindu society with its caste structure, Dharma constituted the religious and moral doctrine of the rights and duties of each individual.
Source Wikipedia
Juliet Burke
Edmund Burke (January 12, 1729 – July 9, 1797)
Irish social and political philosopher and statesman. Although reared in the Enlightenment era, Burke was a severe critic of rationalist theories of “natural law” and social contract. Like David Hume, Burke believed that political and social organization evolved organically over history from a variety of political, cultural and social circumstances. In Burke’s view, current society is a robust organism that emerged piecemeal and slowly over history. For this reason, Burke never trusted abstract “grand plans” for radical political, economic and/or social reorganization of society. … However, Burke wasn’t exactly an apologist of the current order either. Tyrannical kings and parliaments, no less than tyrannical mobs, were an anathema to Burke. It is for this reason that he defended the American Revolution (since, in his view, they were merely “reclaiming” their traditional rights as freeborn Englishmen) and condemned the French Revolution (which, in his view, was based on a rationalist experiment). … But his greatest influence was on social commentators like Thomas Carlyle and John Ruskin, who invoked Burke’s arguments to condemn the destructive rise of capitalist industrialism.
Henry Gale (Benjamin Linus)
Henry Gale (Dorothy’s Uncle in The Wizard of Oz)
His pseudonym and supposed way of coming to the Island refers to the children’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum. “Henry Gale” is Dorothy’s Uncle Henry, while the hot air balloon refers to the Wizard himself, who landed on Oz (and subsequently left it) on a hot air balloon. This analogy could be taken one step further by assuming that “Henry”, like the Wizard, was the “man behind the curtain”, i.e. the real leader of the Others, while previously we were led to believe that Mr. Friendly, or to a greater degree Alvar Hanso, was in charge. In Ozma of Oz, the third book in Baum’s Oz series, Henry Gale is ordered by his doctor to take a vacation to Australia. He and his niece Dorothy depart on a steamship and, during a storm, Dorothy is blown overboard with one of her uncle’s hens. She and the hen are washed ashore to a place that Dorothy guesses is some sort of “fairy country”, as Oz has no seashores.
Source Lostpedia
Mittelos Bioscience
“Lost Time”
The letters in “Mittelos” can be rearranged to spell “lost time.” Juliet Burke is recruited by Dr. Alpert from Mittelos Bioscience to study the case of a woman that Juliet estimates is in her 70s based on the condition of the uterus in a CT scan. Dr. Alpert tells Juliet that the woman is actually 26 — so the woman literally has 40-50 years of “lost time.”
Speculation: The island exists in some sort of “time anomaly.” This woman that is 26 but appears to be 70 actually spent 40 years on the island, but only seconds, minutes or days passed in the outside world. A real head trip would be if it turns out that the woman was Juliet herself, shunted through time. Perhaps she and Jack are even the two skeletons found in the cave? This is utterly unsupported by fact, of course. I just like talking our of my ass.
Ethan Rom
“Other Man”
The letters in Ethan’s name can be rearranged to spell “Other Man.” Since Ethan was the first “Other” the castaways encountered, that’s probably all there is to his name. But for fun, I must note that you can also spell “The Roman,” “Ham Tenor,” and my personal favorite: “Meat Horn”
minor characters
Anthony Cooper
Anthony Cooper (1671 - 1713)
His grandfather, the first Earl of Shaftesbury, oversaw Shaftesbury’s early upbringing, and put John Locke in charge of his education. Shaftesbury would eventually come to disagree with many aspects of Locke’s philosophy (such as the latter’s empiricism, his social contract theory, and what Shaftesbury perceived to be his egoism), but Locke was clearly a crucially important influence on Shaftesbury’s philosophical development, and the two remained friends until Locke’s death.
Anthony Cooper, the friend of philosopher John Locke, had a bad liver, which Locke convinced him to have surgery on. The Lost version of Anthony Cooper is Locke’s father, who has a failing kidney. Outside of that, parallels are hard to draw, because the original Locke and Cooper were friends, whereas the Lost version of Cooper is a giant prick.
Danielle Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 – July 2, 1778)
Perhaps Rousseau’s most important work is The Social Contract, which outlines the basis for a legitimate political order. Rousseau claimed that the state of nature eventually degenerates into a brutish condition without law or morality, at which point the human race must adopt institutions of law or perish. In the degenerate phase of the state of nature, man is prone to be in frequent competition with his fellow men while at the same time becoming increasingly dependent on them. This double pressure threatens both his survival and his freedom. According to Rousseau, by joining together through the social contract and abandoning their claims of natural right, individuals can both preserve themselves and remain free.
Source Wikipedia
I think the case can be made that Danielle has degenerated into a “brutish condition without law or morality.” I wonder if she’ll make the leap to establish a social contract with the castaways?
Penelope Widmore
Penelope, wife of Odysseus
The Odyssey opens in the tenth year after the fall of Troy, 20 years after Odysseus left Ithaca. Odysseus, owing to the wrath of the sea-god Poseidon, has not been allowed to return home. … But at last Athena, his constant friend among the gods, persuades Zeus, the king of the gods, to allow him to escape. Athena goes in disguise to Ithaca, where Penelope and her son Telemachus are being harassed by a horde of 108 suitors who want to compel the queen to marry one of them.
Source Encarta
Obviously, there are strong parallels between the mythological Penelope, who’s husband was lost at sea, and Lost’s Penelope, whose boyfriend Desmond is lost at sea as well. Add in the “108 suitors” found in Homer’s version of the story, and I am convinced of the connection.
There you go. That’s my list. I’m especially proud of the work I did on Ana Lucia, Kate and Charlie, because I haven’t seen their names decoded like this anywhere else. I know I also repeated a lot of work that other people had already done, but I enjoyed attempting to “crack the mystery” on my own.I considered putting James “Sawyer” Ford up there. The comparison between Lost’s Sawyer and “Tom Sawyer” seemed plausible, and there was a famous river pirate named James Ford who plundered ships on the Mississippi, yet managed to maintain the facade of a respectable businessman, but the connections seemed a bit tenuous to me. (Although to be fair, I’m not 100-percent sold on the consensus view on Sayid’s name, which I reprinted above.)
I’d really like to hear what you think, or if anyone else has had a breakthrough on a name not on my list. I want to keep this as complete as possible, and will gladly credit people who present convincing arguments for how other characters got their names.
February 15th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
February 17th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
I’m sure you caught that Juliet’s husband’s name was Edmond (listed on the name plate on his desk).
February 17th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
Yeah, I caught it. I should note that in the article, though. I’ll fix it later.
February 18th, 2007 at 6:53 am
I know it’s a huge long-shot, but have you given any thought to juliet burke’s name being somewhat in line with this man: Robert O’Hara Burke.
Taken from wikipedia:
In 1860-61 Robert O’Hara Burke and William John Wills led an expedition of 19 men with the intention of crossing Australia from Melbourne in the south to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north, a distance of around 2,800 kilometres (≈1,750 miles). At that time most of the inland of Australia had not been explored by white people and was completely unknown to the European settlers.
The south-north leg was successfully completed (except they were stopped by swampland 5km (3 miles) from the northern coastline), but owing to poor leadership and bad luck, both of the expedition’s leaders died on the return journey. All together, seven men lost their lives, and only one man, John King, travelled the entire expedition and returned alive to Melbourne.
There’s loads more info at the site provided…
February 18th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Hmm…it’s possible, I guess. But Edmund Burke was a political philosopher, which fits in with the pattern they have developed for other character’s names very well. I think that’s a more likely scenario than an explorer.
February 18th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
March 8th, 2007 at 6:45 am
You can add a new one now — the man who lives by himself in the forest, the last surviving member of the Dharma Initiative, is named Mikhail Bakunin. The real Mikhail Bakunin (1814-1876), also Russian, was the founder of modern anarchism and was exiled to Siberia in 1857.
March 11th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
Good stuff, thanks for putting this together. All the philosophers are making my head spin.
I think given Kate is a woman and Jane Austen has associations with Hume, you may have the wrong ‘Austen’ link. Also, I found a hit when I searched for Austen which didn’t included her on the result but didn’t otherwise mention her but did connect Austen and Lock and Rosseau!
Also, James has been tied to Locke/Hume as well on a similar theme as Austen and Rosseau related to theories of ‘reality’ which has obvious ties to the show’s themes. Wonder if perhaps the Losties are actual decendents of these greats? Hmmm….
March 12th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
March 15th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
I think at least a couple of the names are probably literature references rather than political philosopher ones–the most obvious one being Sawyer, but also Austen (Jane Austen as LostPokerKitten states) and Ethan Rom=Ethan Fromme. The last is the title character of a book by Edith Wharton. Ethan is trapped in a loveless mearriage caring for an invalid wife. He and his lover make a suicide pact to attempt to esacpe their life, but are instead both crippled and then cared for by the wife. Seems in keeping with Ethan as doctor, themes of being trapped and fate.
March 15th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
Forgot to add Walt=Walt Disney. He animates things? (My 11 year old son came up with that one.)
March 22nd, 2007 at 5:01 pm
April 9th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
April 11th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
I think Sayid is a match with Edward Said for sure, the major reason “us vs them” or the “others” which are very common terms in the theories of Orientalism. The battle of one side (the west) to define the “other” parts of the world (the east) using a western lens and perspective. A power is created through knowledge, the knowledge however is created by the westerner in order to control the ‘other’, using such words as barbarian, uncivilized, savages and so on are all words to make an inferior state. In basic one side the West creates the picture they want of the East. It basically what happens in the whole first part of the show until now when the survivors are finally just starting to learn more about the others.
April 27th, 2007 at 3:50 am
Note that Benjamin (Ben Linus) is son of Jacob in The Bible.
Here`s an interesting meaning of the name Reyes (as in Hugo “Hurley” Reyes:
Reyes rendering is a computer software architecture used in 3D computer graphics to render photo-realistic images. It was developed in the mid-1980s by Lucasfilm’s Computer Graphics Research Group, which is now Pixar. It was first used in 1982 to render images for the Genesis effect sequence in the movie Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan. Pixar’s PhotoRealistic RenderMan is one implementation of the Reyes algorithm. According to the original paper describing the algorithm the Reyes image rendering system is “An architecture … for fast high-quality rendering of complex images.” Reyes was proposed as a collection of algorithms and data processing systems. However the terms “algorithm” and “architecture” have come to be used synonymously and are used interchangeably in this article.
Reyes is an acronym for Renders Everything You Ever Saw (the name is also a pun on Point Reyes, California, near where Lucasfilm was located) and is suggestive of processes connected with optical imaging systems.
(from Wikipedia)
May 17th, 2007 at 10:42 am
May 24th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
This webpage is the most interesting thing i have found about lost.
I found a blown up picture in a blog (posted at the bottom) that could be made out to be J______ Bentham from the obituary Jack was holding in the season finale. Do you think the relatioship of Bens character is more toward Henry Gale or Jeremy Bentham like I read everywhere else?
http://abc.lost.com/lost_aimoo.shtml
May 24th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
you must go to THEORIES and then
Topic: OFMG. I SOLVED IT. BEN IS IN THE COFFIN=JEREMY BENTHAM
TO SEE THE PICTURE I REFERED TO
May 29th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
July 30th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
[...] by Buffy dying and then being revived, or the fate of Harry Potter and friends, or salsa dancing, or Lost, or how many home-runs Barry Bonds cranks out of the park, or whether the Smashing Pumpkins reunion [...]
October 22nd, 2007 at 2:22 pm
Jeremy Bentham was another political philosopher…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Bentham
February 2nd, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Matthew Abaddon (new season 4 character) - the “lawyer” who freaks Hurley out. If you wikipedia Abaddon, is it a hebrew name meaning “the destroyer”. In the bible, he is called “The Angel of the Abyss”, associated with the realm of “lost souls”. That’s appropo. Many biblical scholars believe Abaddon to be Satan or the anti-christ, he is referred to as the Lord of Pestilence. Jehovah’s witnesses originally considered him a demon, but now associate his with Jesus, siting a passage which reads that “the angel with the key of the abyss and a large prison in his hand seized the dragon (Satan) and threw him down into the abyss, and closed it on him (Satan)”, meaning that the ‘angel of the key’ had power and authority superior to that of the Devil himself.
February 2nd, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Many of the new characters from the freighter appear to be named for scientists, not philosophers. Seems an interesting coincidence?
Naomi Dorrit – the parachute girl with the sat phone – possibly named for the 20th century astronomer Ellen Dorrit Hoffleit?
Daniel Faraday – new character from the freighter – possibly named for 19th century chemist/physicist Michael Faraday who made discoveries concerning magnetic fields.
George Minkowski – new character from the freighter - 20th century mathmatician / physicist Hermann Minkowski who did work with the theory of relativity, space and time, and is famous for creating the the “Minkowski spacetime”.
February 14th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
It’s also interesting to note that “mittellos” means “stranded” or “destitute” in German (literally: “without means”).
February 17th, 2008 at 11:14 am
i don’t agree that all their name’s were inspired on philosofer’s of the 18th century:
- Ziad Samir Jarrah (sayid jarrah) was the hijacker who acted as pilot of United Airlines Flight 93, part of the September 11, 2001 attacks. He is believed to have taken over as the of the aircraft and made an unsuccessful attempt to crash the plane into the U.S. Capitol. >> TERRORISM
- Jane Austen (Kate Austen) was a British novelist whose realism, biting social commentary, and masterful use of free indirect speech, burlesque, and irony have earned her a place as one of the most widely-read and best-loved writers in British literature. >> IRONY AND ALL
- Daniel Boone (Boone Carlyle) was an American pioneer and hunter whose frontier exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the U.S. state of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of the Thirteen Colonies. HERO, PIONEER
- City of Littleton (Claire Cittleton) became widely known in 1999 when the Columbine High School massacre occurred at nearby Columbine High School, which some in the news media reported as being located in the city. The school is one of the schools of the Jefferson County school system and not one of the Littleton Public Schools. KILLING, KIDS, MISTAKE.
- Henry Ford (James Ford, Sawyer) was a prolific inventor and was awarded 161 U.S. patents. As owner of the Ford Company he became one of the richest and best-known people in the world. Ford had a global vision, with consumerism as the key to peace. >> CAN’T EXPLAIN IT!
(all from wikipedia)
I’ve always thought their names meant something…
February 29th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Is anyone familiar with the work of the author Robert Sawyer? He uses pop culture references in his work, and also dives into science/religion and human consciousness topics.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Yeah, maybe they’re not all philosophers, but I really think the 18th century is a common thread. James Ford as the Civic leader/pirate who led “Ford’s Ferry Gang,” the philosophers of Rousseau and Hume and numerous others all came from the 18th century. Admittedly, John Locke lived in the 17th century, but he did die in 1704 and his work was very influential especially in the 18th century. I do like Jane Austen, the 18th century writer, as a better comparison to Kate. Jane was a romantic, writing great novels that always ended happily (usually in marriage), yet she herself chose to remain independent and turned down the proposals of numerous men.
I’ve got one more, though, that may be stretching it:
Jack Sheppard was an 18th century thief who became a kind of Robin Hood of his day, romanticized for years after he was caught for the fourth time and finally hung. He was a drunk and a thief, but he was lauded as a public hero and he refused to rat out his friends in exchange for a reduced sentence.
Yeah…so, Jack’s not exactly some rogue thief, but I wouldn’t just say he’s a shepherd leading his flock and leave it at that. Have you been watching lately? Maybe the name could represent both. Like the 18th century criminal joked about his repeated escapes and incarcerations, “I am the Sheppard, and all the Gaolers [jailers] in the Town are my Flock, and I cannot stir into the Country, but they are all at my Heels Baughing after me.”
April 16th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Actually, in regards to the 18th century thing, historians do sometimes define that century as the time between the Glorious Revolution and Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo, which would make it fall between 1688 and 1815.
May 11th, 2008 at 3:50 am