Thanks for this Mark—I think the average modern person lacks an historical perspective, so this kind of consciousness-raising is ever more valuable. My church sponsors a podcast that I think you would enjoy: “A Brief History of Power”. And, by extension, the book to which one of the hosts often refers: Tragedy and Hope by Carroll Quigley.
Beautifully said, and so important for both writers and readers of historical fiction. I was trained in anthropology and archaeology (i'm not a scholar either ;-) and I've been disturbed by the trend in those fields, gaining momentum lately, of interpreting the past through the lens of the present and its preferences, experiences, and values. We seem increasingly unable--or unwilling--to understand the past on its own terms. The same happens in much of historical fiction. If the past is a foreign country, as I like to think of it, I don't visit to conquer, pass sentence, or impose my own culture, but for the opportunity of experiencing and learning about a culture different from my own. We can't understand or appreciate other cultures--past or present--when we're spellbound by our own.
Thanks for this Mark—I think the average modern person lacks an historical perspective, so this kind of consciousness-raising is ever more valuable. My church sponsors a podcast that I think you would enjoy: “A Brief History of Power”. And, by extension, the book to which one of the hosts often refers: Tragedy and Hope by Carroll Quigley.
Great read.
Really interesting proposition (the wonderful, terrible especially). I’ll be interested to see what you do with it. Loved the Rosling video.
Beautifully said, and so important for both writers and readers of historical fiction. I was trained in anthropology and archaeology (i'm not a scholar either ;-) and I've been disturbed by the trend in those fields, gaining momentum lately, of interpreting the past through the lens of the present and its preferences, experiences, and values. We seem increasingly unable--or unwilling--to understand the past on its own terms. The same happens in much of historical fiction. If the past is a foreign country, as I like to think of it, I don't visit to conquer, pass sentence, or impose my own culture, but for the opportunity of experiencing and learning about a culture different from my own. We can't understand or appreciate other cultures--past or present--when we're spellbound by our own.