I saw this reading list being batted about yesterday and have decided that I must now buck up the bucks to get as many books as I can from it. Now begins the mad search on Amazon.com to see which ones I can come by cheapest.
What is this list? As provided by John Crowley, it is a list of nonfiction texts on the subject of: “Cultures We Really Evolved that are Stranger Than Any You can Think Of”
Really, it’s his way of helping writers shed their mental blinders and realize that there are more ways to build a fantasy society than pasting a system of magic into a medieval type world and level of technology. How many stories out there are populated by monarchy/peasant type societies, and even have that overarching religious structure (with some name derivative of the Catholic Church)?
Crowley is wanting us to realize that there are incredibly strange cultures and ways of living in the world today (at least, they are strange from our perspective) and we don’t have to keep pouring stories into the same mold over and over again. Aside from giving us a diversion from cultural ruts, I’m sure these books hold a wealth of story ideas and those fascinating little factoids that will plant a seed in your brain for some epic tale.
This one looks particularly interesting:
“Women, Fire and Dangerous Things, by George Lakoff. The way different cultures view the world as exemplified in their language. Don’t invent a language without it.”
And, hey, if you want a world that has lots of kings and priests and huge religious orders with popes and bishops, then you’ll at least need this one:
“Castle and Cathedral, by David Macauley. You probably read them as kids: books by a great draughtsman about the actual month-to-month and year-to-year building of these buildings. Let’s get our details right.”
I’m off now to start seeing what deals I can dig up on these titles. If any of you all manage to get your hands on some of these, do let me know what you think, and if you find them helpful/intriguing/confusing…
I see that smile.