Enjoyable read J.M. Be heartened to know that your lost piece is out there somewhere.
On the shoreline of this high alpine lake are emerging the ruins of an ancient civilisation hardly anyone has knowledge of. As if, once lost, they are saying "Time to Shine."
Answers to questions: 1/No. 2/ Good times at weird costume parties! 3/ Authenticity (which, when written well is entertainment enough.)
Thank you! It would be nice to think it's out there somewhere :-) And I agree... historical reenactments, etc can be a lot of fun, and the authenticity of a story can be its own reward.
thank you so much! i considered not publishing it since it was a bit rushed... i also wanted to be an archaeologist, and even studied it in college, but went on to do other things. probably for the best, but i still love it. your essay was wonderful. thanks for sharing it. maybe there's a bright side to losing a piece :-)
I'm glad you did. It's a great piece. Especially loved this bit: "So long as we don’t get lost there. In the consolation or exoticism of antiquity. In refuge from the disappointments of a disconcerting present and an indifferent future. In the romanticism of ages burnished and buffed of their battle-scarred edges so they shine brightly. On dark paths cleared of their thorny brambles, so they travel cleanly without pricks and stings."
There is in such attempts at revival a tension between form and substance. It is often the form for which people feel nostalgic. They want the form restored, but not the substance. By way of a crude analogy, historical reenactors wear modern underwear, pack a nice lunch, and don't use real bullets. The recreate the form, but not the substance, of battle.
Historical fiction can fall into this trap as well, recreating the form but not the substance of the past. (Actually, from a commercial point of view, this is not so much a trap as an essential feature that readers demand, since it is the form and not the substance they want.)
But we live in an age without much substance at all. I think there is a broad nostalgia for substance, and perhaps that drives some of the nostalgia for the form. But nostalgia for substance is not substance, and real substance can gather new forms around itself. It would be a grand thing if we could back to substance itself.
You make an excellent point about the root of desire for the past and its limits. We often imagine we’d like to return to another age, place, or event without fully inhabiting all of its meaning and consequences. The past is romantic when one considers it from the comfortable and safe present, with the benefit of antibiotics and indoor plumbing. But that’s a 2 dimensional version of history, like an image on a postcard. What would it mean to know history, not as a tourist, but as a native?
Historical fiction can attempt to convey this impression. Sure, it can be about forms, and many readers (and publishers) will prefer this. But it can also take readers deeper into the realities of the world it describes, and immerse them in some of its intimate perspectives.
I agree there is a nostalgia for substance generally, and most of us will take it where we can find it. If it is lacking in the present, we’ll seek it in stories of the past where life seemed more purposeful and deeds seemed more consequential. Whether that means we live vicariously through the stories or are inspired to change by them is another matter…
This reminds me of the arts and crafts movement of which I am a huge fan. Not because it built gothic cathedral replica's and medieval home, but because it created it's own aesthetic drawing the best of those things and throwing in with it a good measure of grieving for a world that was passing away under the industrial revolution. Some arts and crafts artifacts are much sought after artworks entirely of their own merit. Their likeness to be found in no other time period and yet they contain wistful nods to many forgottten things. A desperate longing to not see the world fall under the cheapness of mass production birthed many beautiful forms in architecture, interior design, and jewellery still beloved today.
I agree completely. The past is a rich source of inspiration and so many movements like arts and crafts drew upon the ideas and artifacts from earlier ages to create something entirely new that had meaning and resonance in their own era, while still paying homage to their source. There’s something satisfying in the ability to seamlessly weave past and present into a coherent, beautiful picture. I’m also a fan and I probably shouldn’t mention how many William Morris designs I have in my house ;-)
I recently lost a piece I was writing in exactly the same way and was so sick over it I couldn’t go back to it for awhile. It’s for an anthology I’m working on with some other writers, so I’m piecing it back together Humpty Dumpty style. :)
I’m sorry for your writing tragedy, but I’m glad it inspired this beautiful post. Just like the imprints of ancient cultures live on in our imagination today, all the work you put into that lost file surely will as well, one way or another.
Thank you for your kind words! I'd like to think those things are never completely gone... they exist in our subconscious somewhere and will resurface in some other form when they're ready, the way ancient artifacts do :-)
I'm so sorry you lost your piece that way! I feel your pain :-( But I'm glad you're able to still work on it and put it back together. I wish you luck with your (re)writing. Sometimes having a deadline or project can be a great motivator, and the anthology will be all the better with your restored piece in it!
Hi Rolo - thanks for your comment. I’m not sure what you mean by "defeatist" but I suspect we're coming from different perspectives. Please feel free to explain!
I think it’s noble to want to honor the past, but for me that means not co-opting its myths and traditions for our own ideological ends. Like a wild animal pulled from its natural habitat and displayed in a zoo, a mythology withers when extracted from its context within a total way of life. It loses meaning in isolation. Even reviving the heart of a past culture can't restore the whole. So, yes, I think Davidson is correct that such attempts are doomed. In that I am defeatist.
The world of the past is largely unknown to us and anything we model on it will be a mask; behind it we will remain modern, mimicking ancient people and traditions we can never fully know or understand. We can learn from, appreciate, and find inspiration in those myths and traditions--I certainly do--but, sadly, we can never fully recreate them as they once were.
Enjoyable read J.M. Be heartened to know that your lost piece is out there somewhere.
On the shoreline of this high alpine lake are emerging the ruins of an ancient civilisation hardly anyone has knowledge of. As if, once lost, they are saying "Time to Shine."
Answers to questions: 1/No. 2/ Good times at weird costume parties! 3/ Authenticity (which, when written well is entertainment enough.)
Thank you! It would be nice to think it's out there somewhere :-) And I agree... historical reenactments, etc can be a lot of fun, and the authenticity of a story can be its own reward.
Phenomenal piece! You captured how I feel almost exactly, although I hadn't given it any focussed thought before reading this. Good writing. I wanted to be an archeologist when I was a boy. I also lost a piece, although it was only a morning's work. I wrote about it here: https://ryanwinfield.substack.com/p/the-edges-of-the-day?r=b6ynm&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
thank you so much! i considered not publishing it since it was a bit rushed... i also wanted to be an archaeologist, and even studied it in college, but went on to do other things. probably for the best, but i still love it. your essay was wonderful. thanks for sharing it. maybe there's a bright side to losing a piece :-)
I'm glad you did. It's a great piece. Especially loved this bit: "So long as we don’t get lost there. In the consolation or exoticism of antiquity. In refuge from the disappointments of a disconcerting present and an indifferent future. In the romanticism of ages burnished and buffed of their battle-scarred edges so they shine brightly. On dark paths cleared of their thorny brambles, so they travel cleanly without pricks and stings."
that means a lot coming from a writer like yourself :-)
There is in such attempts at revival a tension between form and substance. It is often the form for which people feel nostalgic. They want the form restored, but not the substance. By way of a crude analogy, historical reenactors wear modern underwear, pack a nice lunch, and don't use real bullets. The recreate the form, but not the substance, of battle.
Historical fiction can fall into this trap as well, recreating the form but not the substance of the past. (Actually, from a commercial point of view, this is not so much a trap as an essential feature that readers demand, since it is the form and not the substance they want.)
But we live in an age without much substance at all. I think there is a broad nostalgia for substance, and perhaps that drives some of the nostalgia for the form. But nostalgia for substance is not substance, and real substance can gather new forms around itself. It would be a grand thing if we could back to substance itself.
You make an excellent point about the root of desire for the past and its limits. We often imagine we’d like to return to another age, place, or event without fully inhabiting all of its meaning and consequences. The past is romantic when one considers it from the comfortable and safe present, with the benefit of antibiotics and indoor plumbing. But that’s a 2 dimensional version of history, like an image on a postcard. What would it mean to know history, not as a tourist, but as a native?
Historical fiction can attempt to convey this impression. Sure, it can be about forms, and many readers (and publishers) will prefer this. But it can also take readers deeper into the realities of the world it describes, and immerse them in some of its intimate perspectives.
I agree there is a nostalgia for substance generally, and most of us will take it where we can find it. If it is lacking in the present, we’ll seek it in stories of the past where life seemed more purposeful and deeds seemed more consequential. Whether that means we live vicariously through the stories or are inspired to change by them is another matter…
This reminds me of the arts and crafts movement of which I am a huge fan. Not because it built gothic cathedral replica's and medieval home, but because it created it's own aesthetic drawing the best of those things and throwing in with it a good measure of grieving for a world that was passing away under the industrial revolution. Some arts and crafts artifacts are much sought after artworks entirely of their own merit. Their likeness to be found in no other time period and yet they contain wistful nods to many forgottten things. A desperate longing to not see the world fall under the cheapness of mass production birthed many beautiful forms in architecture, interior design, and jewellery still beloved today.
Sentiment does have it's uses.
I agree completely. The past is a rich source of inspiration and so many movements like arts and crafts drew upon the ideas and artifacts from earlier ages to create something entirely new that had meaning and resonance in their own era, while still paying homage to their source. There’s something satisfying in the ability to seamlessly weave past and present into a coherent, beautiful picture. I’m also a fan and I probably shouldn’t mention how many William Morris designs I have in my house ;-)
You are right, you shouldn't have mentioned that. I can wax lyrical for hours on Morris. :P
I recently lost a piece I was writing in exactly the same way and was so sick over it I couldn’t go back to it for awhile. It’s for an anthology I’m working on with some other writers, so I’m piecing it back together Humpty Dumpty style. :)
I’m sorry for your writing tragedy, but I’m glad it inspired this beautiful post. Just like the imprints of ancient cultures live on in our imagination today, all the work you put into that lost file surely will as well, one way or another.
Thank you for your kind words! I'd like to think those things are never completely gone... they exist in our subconscious somewhere and will resurface in some other form when they're ready, the way ancient artifacts do :-)
I'm so sorry you lost your piece that way! I feel your pain :-( But I'm glad you're able to still work on it and put it back together. I wish you luck with your (re)writing. Sometimes having a deadline or project can be a great motivator, and the anthology will be all the better with your restored piece in it!
Thanks 😊
>The Nazis tried to revive the myths of ancient Germany in their ideology, but such an attempt could only lead to sterility and moral suicide.
Did it though?
Very defeatist thinking in this article.
Hi Rolo - thanks for your comment. I’m not sure what you mean by "defeatist" but I suspect we're coming from different perspectives. Please feel free to explain!
I think it’s noble to want to honor the past, but for me that means not co-opting its myths and traditions for our own ideological ends. Like a wild animal pulled from its natural habitat and displayed in a zoo, a mythology withers when extracted from its context within a total way of life. It loses meaning in isolation. Even reviving the heart of a past culture can't restore the whole. So, yes, I think Davidson is correct that such attempts are doomed. In that I am defeatist.
The world of the past is largely unknown to us and anything we model on it will be a mask; behind it we will remain modern, mimicking ancient people and traditions we can never fully know or understand. We can learn from, appreciate, and find inspiration in those myths and traditions--I certainly do--but, sadly, we can never fully recreate them as they once were.
>The Nazis tried to revive the myths of ancient Germany in their ideology, but such an attempt could only lead to sterility and moral suicide.
Did it though?