I see this as a separate issue from world building, though I say that tentatively because of these vexing questions of cultural appropriation, etc. But really, (she said defensively) if we are making fictional models of change, why not take building blocks from all the world and time, to effectively make our model the more convincing to live in for a while?
This other thing, though, storytelling in recognizable cultures . . . well, what triggered this speculation was sorting my books this morning, including setting aside a bunch of YA books read for the Norton last year, that I would not keep. I also sorted some older ones. I looked at one that was a familair subgenre, and thought that the writer had certainly respected the ancient culture depicted, to the point of hinting that it is far preferable to our materialistic modern life. And yet when I was reading all those earnest, powerful, wise women talking and talking about the spirits and so forth, I thought, isn't anyone cold, living out in the open like that? Isn't anyone dragging their butts off to a stream for water? Does no one have a gut ache, or a tooth ache? How about the hours and hours of grinding, chopping, shucking, and grubbing for food? Who's doing that while they talk so much?
This setting felt like the Renfaire version of a non-materialistic, scrabbling-for-subsistence culture.
Oh, I so agree. You were a RenFaire worker in the early days--and it was a wonderful way of life as long as you could, well, go on leave in the 20th century. I spent a month one summer living pretty authentically in the Middle Ages, faire during the day, unimproved campground at night. I actually burst into tears one day at the sight of an indoor toilet. And after a month without coffee or chocolate, for at least a while I could get an amazing rush from one bite of a Hershey bar.
Prior to that month, all these things were just part of life to you. Whereas to someone living in actual primitive conditions, the conditions were just life.
It's not like we think about having to actually steer our cars, or do our own housework and how this really should all be done by robot. Someone living in the 23rd century might think that, living in equivalent to our era, but we don't.
Put in too much of the grime and hard living and I start to wonder how the character acquired 21st century sensibilities in that time.
Interesting balance: for example, based on marginalia from Irish monks, I don't think that humans in ANY time period enjoyed being cold or hungry or alone in a cell in the dark.Based on songs from many periods, people much prefer being warm and having nice things to eat and drink in company. But nobody before the 20th century would have missed daily hair-washing or bathing--though in period when bathing was in fashion, people clearly enjoyed it, it was still an occasional treat. An interesting point of divergence--I have yet to find a Medieval poet in a clean-shaven society lamenting the pain of daily shaving--yet to our modern sensibilities, that must have been a dreaded task. It's amazing to me that any pre-industrial society would have evolved clean-shaven fashion! Therefore, I suppose that to have a knight-at-arms grousing about getting his knife keenly-ground enough to make shaving easy, or complaining about having to do so without hot water, would be anachronistic.
This other thing, though, storytelling in recognizable cultures . . . well, what triggered this speculation was sorting my books this morning, including setting aside a bunch of YA books read for the Norton last year, that I would not keep. I also sorted some older ones. I looked at one that was a familair subgenre, and thought that the writer had certainly respected the ancient culture depicted, to the point of hinting that it is far preferable to our materialistic modern life. And yet when I was reading all those earnest, powerful, wise women talking and talking about the spirits and so forth, I thought, isn't anyone cold, living out in the open like that? Isn't anyone dragging their butts off to a stream for water? Does no one have a gut ache, or a tooth ache? How about the hours and hours of grinding, chopping, shucking, and grubbing for food? Who's doing that while they talk so much?
This setting felt like the Renfaire version of a non-materialistic, scrabbling-for-subsistence culture.
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Prior to that month, all these things were just part of life to you. Whereas to someone living in actual primitive conditions, the conditions were just life.
It's not like we think about having to actually steer our cars, or do our own housework and how this really should all be done by robot. Someone living in the 23rd century might think that, living in equivalent to our era, but we don't.
Put in too much of the grime and hard living and I start to wonder how the character acquired 21st century sensibilities in that time.
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An interesting point of divergence--I have yet to find a Medieval poet in a clean-shaven society lamenting the pain of daily shaving--yet to our modern sensibilities, that must have been a dreaded task. It's amazing to me that any pre-industrial society would have evolved clean-shaven fashion! Therefore, I suppose that to have a knight-at-arms grousing about getting his knife keenly-ground enough to make shaving easy, or complaining about having to do so without hot water, would be anachronistic.
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