SLEEPING THROUGH THE WINTER.
SLEEPING THROUGH THE WINTER. Winter is almost here. I experience a yearning every winter to stay inside and in bed. Graham Robb writes here that until the twentieth century peasants in many parts of Russia and France shut themselves away during the winter months. “A civil servant who investigated [Burgundy’s] economic activity in 1844 found that he was almost the only living presence in the landscape: ‘These vigorous men will now spend their days in bed, packing their bodies tightly together in order to stay warm and to eat less food.’” He also cites a report from 1900 about a region of Russia where, “’At the first fall of snow the whole family gathers round the stove, lies down, ceases to wrestle with the problems of human existence, and quietly goes to sleep. Once a day every one wakes up to eat a piece of hard bread.’” Robb thinks all this was a good idea, concluding, “There has never been a better time to stay in bed.” (I have previously posted here and here on reviews of Graham Robb’s book THE DISCOVERY OF FRANCE.)
Does anyone believe that man used to be a hibernating animal? I wonder, seriously. In the winter, because the cold takes so much out of me, I eat more and try to sleep more. Of course, I gain weight because I don’t stay asleep and live off the fat of the summer and fall. The dark days really take an emotional toll as well.