Comments on: Why Pamela Freeman hates the olden times… http://www.orbitbooks.net/2008/06/18/why-pamela-freeman-hates-the-olden-times/ Orbit Books Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:58:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: David North http://www.orbitbooks.net/2008/06/18/why-pamela-freeman-hates-the-olden-times/comment-page-1/#comment-95 David North Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:03:43 +0000 http://www.orbitbooks.net/2008/06/18/why-pamela-freeman-hates-the-olden-times/#comment-95 This attitude toward fantasy worlds just follows on from the general impression you get talking to people about real history. I often notice that a large proportion of folk believe our ancestors were somehow stupid because they didn't have the level of technology available now. As you say, far from it. They struggled to cope with far more trying circumstances than we have to, and, by and large, did a great job. And the other thing that always strikes me is that their resourcefulness in coping with difficult conditions is available to us now. Yet we throw in the towel, quite often when facing superficial challenges. The idealised version of feudalism which permeates so many fantasy books is also something of a let down. But then it is fantasy isn't it? This attitude toward fantasy worlds just follows on from the general impression you get talking to people about real history.

I often notice that a large proportion of folk believe our ancestors were somehow stupid because they didn’t have the level of technology available now. As you say, far from it. They struggled to cope with far more trying circumstances than we have to, and, by and large, did a great job.

And the other thing that always strikes me is that their resourcefulness in coping with difficult conditions is available to us now. Yet we throw in the towel, quite often when facing superficial challenges.

The idealised version of feudalism which permeates so many fantasy books is also something of a let down. But then it is fantasy isn’t it?

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