Pankration blog

Post here about Alexander in film, TV, radio, other websites, YouTube etc.

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phoohb

Re: Wow, it looks like I started something...

Post by phoohb »

pankration wrote:...
Eew, there are too many fictional storys.

Why not read history instead.

The story of Alexander are greater than that of the fictional Iliad.

There are some storys that are mixed, with partly historical correctness, but with a fictional main character. This is maybe doto unwriten histortys of little man, as foot soldier, or illiterate, or they died (so their story must go on)..

( In my thought now I only have one clear example of this. If there are any Swedish readers here now. Arn, av Guillou som jag tänker på. För med största sannolikhet, så fanns det inga Skandinaviska korsridare. Jag har läst alla böckerna, och deflesta platser och händelser stämmer.. Men inte Arns existens.)

Did Patrida exist? Or anything like him.
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amyntoros
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Post by amyntoros »

phoohb wrote:
pankration wrote:...
Eew, there are too many fictional storys.

Why not read history instead.
Why can't we read both? We shouldn't have to make a choice, and fiction can be a nice break from serious study. :)

Best regards,
Amyntoros

Pothos Lunch Room Monitor
phoohb

Post by phoohb »

amyntoros wrote:
phoohb wrote:
pankration wrote:...
Eew, there are too many fictional storys.

Why not read history instead.
Why can't we read both? We shouldn't have to make a choice, and fiction can be a nice break from serious study. :)

Best regards,
Because we cant draw any conclusion of madeup dramas. If we do, and are touched by something unreal, its bad (we become more unreal).

You wont become any Einstein because of watching StarTreck. You dont get better exercise by watching football on TV (that always en 0-0).

"Its a different thing in knowing the way, and walking it."
(some quote from the movie Matrix. Because you can be a sleepwalker.. among other things)
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dean
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Post by dean »

Hello,

Excuse me if I chime in here.

I agree with Amyntoros, reading the soures isn't exactly like reading a Renault novel. It can be a tad boring. So I think that a good balance is to read both fiction and non fiction work.

And while we are on the subject, I think that reading fiction can help to make it more real. I certainly felt as if I were on campaign with Alexander while I was reading The Persian Boy so vivid was the word- imagery. :wink:

Best regards,
Dean
carpe diem
pankration
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Culture is more than history...

Post by pankration »

Please don't misinterpret the following statement as some grandiose pretension (I write but am not in any shape or form a writer in the class of great novelists).

But where would we be without Greek tragedies, the Illiad, Shakespeare, Tolstoy etc. They wrote stories that reflected history but were not academic tomes. History is the story of us; it is a living thing that is reflected in generation after generation. If someone makes a dusty or forgotten memory as vivid as it was when it occurred that person should be commended as his/her readers should be.

I am an historian and I've spent countless hours in libraries looking at "sources". And as interesting as they may be to me, most people couldn't be bothered. A novel or a movie can draw people to inquire, to study to gain an appreciation of the past that may not be there.

Is historical fiction always accurate? Of course not. Does it sometimes sensationalize events? Of course. But I'm willing to bet that when someone reads a book or sees a movie they like, they pursue the subject. That's why historical fiction, from the Iliad on, is such a critical component of our culture. It's more than entertainment.
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