Re: some thoughts

Posted by Petra on January 10, 2002 at 08:38:49:

In Reply to: Re: some thoughts posted by Rich on January 07, 2002 at 04:04:23:

Hi Rich,
good to see you again too! I was sure I had posted two lengthy replies the other day to your post and to Sarah's post, but I must have only pressed "submit" and then forgotten to actually post it. Duh, silly me!
I'll try to redo it on the weekend. For now, just two thoughts:

First, I think the question is where the ideal balance is between artistic license and portrayal of accurate history. That balance will vary depending on the target audience. My personal preference would be an accurate historic setting with completely fictional characters, through whose eyes the reader or viewer can experience the events of the time.

Second, as to Crystal's post and possibly similar ones: She seems to be criticizing the same type of people you criticize, namely those who take the title of LOTM literally and think that the tribe is really extinct where in fact it is not. So, her response "It's just a book" says, in somewhat simpler words, what you and Sarah say too: That in the end it is still fiction, and that it shouldn't be taken as the main or even only source of historic information.
Also, I can understand that today's members of the Mohican (or Mohegan, right?) tribe may hold some grudge against Cooper for using that title. I agree with you that people should dig and learn and do many other things, but that's an ideal and it is probably a fact that many don't. So I can perfectly imagine that there have been tons and tons of people who have misunderstood that title. There have been so many versions of LOTM around, written and recorded versions, and I'm pretty sure that the frequent misunderstanding of that title is a simple fact. Maybe people should not misunderstand it, maybe they should not be lazy, but they still do. So, there is a simple cause and effect situation between the title and that misunderstanding. And I can also imagine that today's members of that tribe frequently hear comments resulting from that misunderstanding, comments like Crystal mentioned. And that this must be frustrating after a while. And that a very human reaction to that frustration is to simply say "Stupid book!" Of course that reaction overlooks all the value in that book, but it is an understandable reaction. Now, actually she didn't even say anything negative about the book, she even called it interesting.
Anyway, more later...
Take care

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• Re: some thoughts Rich 16:40:20 1/10/2002 (0)

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: Hi Rich,
: good to see you again too!  I was sure I had posted two lengthy replies the other day to your post and to Sarah's post, but I must have only pressed "submit" and then forgotten to actually post it.  Duh, silly me!
: I'll try to redo it on the weekend.  For now, just two thoughts:

: First, I think the question is where the ideal balance is between artistic license and portrayal of accurate history.  That balance will vary depending on the target audience.  My personal preference would be an accurate historic setting with completely fictional characters, through whose eyes the reader or viewer can experience the events of the time.

: Second, as to Crystal's post and possibly similar ones:  She seems to be criticizing the same type of people you criticize, namely those who take the title of LOTM literally and think that the tribe is really extinct where in fact it is not.  So, her response "It's just a book" says, in somewhat simpler words, what you and Sarah say too:  That in the end it is still fiction, and that it shouldn't be taken as the main or even only source of historic information.  
: Also, I can understand that today's members of the Mohican (or Mohegan, right?) tribe may hold some grudge against Cooper for using that title.  I agree with you that people should dig and learn and do many other things, but that's an ideal and it is probably a fact that many don't.  So I can perfectly imagine that there have been tons and tons of people who have misunderstood that title.  There have been so many versions of LOTM around, written and recorded versions, and I'm pretty sure that the frequent misunderstanding of that title is a simple fact.  Maybe people should not misunderstand it, maybe they should not be lazy, but they still do.  So, there is a simple cause and effect situation between the title and that misunderstanding.  And I can also imagine that today's members of that tribe frequently hear comments resulting from that misunderstanding, comments like Crystal mentioned.  And that this must be frustrating after a while.  And that a very human reaction to that frustration is to simply say "Stupid book!"  Of course that reaction overlooks all the value in that book, but it is an understandable reaction.  Now, actually she didn't even say anything negative about the book, she even called it interesting.
: Anyway, more later...
: Take care


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