From: vader@meryl.csd.uu.se ("]ke Eldberg")
Subject: Authenticity vs. fantasy (long)
Organization: The Internet
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 01:51:09 GMT

Greetings from William de Corbie!

Cariadoc argues convincingly that doing authentic things is more fun
than doing OOP things, especially when authenticity is integrated in
Society life and not just occasionally "on display". I agree, but
at the same time I do not see authenticity alone as The Answer.

We usually think of "authenticity" and "fantasy" as two opposing ideas.
Either we do things the way they really did in the middle ages, or we
end up wearing pointy ears, wielding "magic" swords and rolling dice to
see whether we are dwarves or hobbits. But this is not really the issue.

The critical question in all discussions about authenticity versus
fantasy is: why are we here?

It certainly is not because we hate the middle ages and love everything
that belongs to the 20th century. If that was so, the SCA would not exist.

Nor is it because we are fandom people; if that was so, we would have
formed a Tolkien group with elves, trolls, and magic. We have not,
because real history does mean something to us.

But it is not because we are history-fanatics, either. that was so, we
would *have* no problems with authenticity; we would simply *be* as
authentic as is humanly possible. There is a wide consensus that there
are many medieval things we do not wish, nor need, to re-create.

So what we are after is obviously something else. Not fantasy, but
not pure history either.

I came into the SCA because I was under the influence of romantic
notions about the middle ages. All through my life, I have read
countless historical novels and seen lots of films on medieval themes.
They set my imagination in motion, and spawned a dream of a time when
people were courteous, when Robin Hood roamed the forests of Merrie
Olde England and nobles were really noble. The age of Chivalry. That
is why I am here.

The Dream (tm) is not authentic. Look at those historic films which fuel
our enthusiasm: the knights ride out to do battle against the evil foes
-- accompanied by a wagnerian symphony orchestra. They (the knights, not
the violin section:-)) perform heroic deeds, and win the love of beautiful
maidens. King Richard (who in reality was a vicious, brutal killer and
an absolutely rotten king) is the great Good King who enters at the end
of the movie to set things right. Hardly authentic.

However, what makes this fantasy great and good is, paradoxically,
*authenticity*. We would hate to see Ivanhoe fight Brian de Guilbert
with katana and wakisashi. We would loathe to see King Richard Lionheart
rise from a plastic throne to dance a polka with Queen Berengaria. The
fantasy has to be consistent within its own world -- and it is set in
the middle ages, which is a real historic era. A good film or a book is
one that depicts the medieval world without anachronisms and historic
errors. But the story in itself is *not* authentic.

Many people have spoken of the Magic Moments, when it all becomes real.
Those precious minutes, when the 20th century disappears and we can feel
ourselves transported far back in time, to the Age of Chivalry. *That*
is why I came here. I spend hundreds of hours of work, just to have a
chance to experience one of those moments. If I were to start a medieval
society today, everything in it would be geared to maximize the chances
to achieve such experiences. *If* a wagnerian symphony orchestra was
needed, or could help me do it, I would care little that it is not
authentic.

For me, the SCA is an escape from reality -- like all dreams. In reality,
I live an ordinary life. I am not rich, nor world-famous. I certainly
am no hero. My name will never appear in the history books. I am nobody
special; but in my dream, I can be a hero. I can be a feudal Lord, a
knight in shining armor. But it is not just a self-aggrandizing fantasy:
I can also get close to some of the most interesting characters and times
in history. I can live like they did, and understand them and their times.
I can interact with others according to traditions of a civilization that
no longer exists, but which had a lot of interesting ideas. I can enter a
different, fascinating world. Yet, I will only enter a select part of that
world.

If we demanded 100% authenticity from our members, in garb, armor,
weapons, names, heraldry and equipment, the SCA as it is organized
today, would still be a fantasy. Authenticity would provide a more
credible environment for the fantasy, but it would still not be the
real thing. In fact, we do not WANT the real thing -- except in select
parts of our re-creation. The demands for authenticity usually aim at
the individual members and their behavior and equipment; not at the SCA
as a Society.

This is why I am saying that authenticity alone is not The Answer.

At least, that is how I feel. I want the Age of Chivalry -- because
it is my dream. I agree with Cariadoc that authenticity is better than
doing modern things. But even if there were no Coke cans, no filk songs,
no plastic armor, etcetera, I am not sure that this improvement would
mean that my dream could come true here.

The biggest obstacle for achieveing my dream is not the filk, the
19th century dancing or the fiberglass recurve bows. The obstacle
is the inconsistency of the world we are creating. The impossible
combination of 7th century Celts and 16th century fops, samurai and
renaissance fencing. The fact that we have turned chivalrous combat
into a modern sport, and set the Crown of the Realm as the prize,
changing rulers more often than most medieval people changed their
underwear :-) 

My conclusion is that even though I agree with Duke Cariadoc that
authenticity makes things better, the incentive to put in lots of
work to achieve authenticity is weak, when even if I *do* achieve
total autnenticity, my dream will still be prevented from coming
true by the nature of the SCA itself. It attempts to provide room
for everybody's dreams, and ends up providing room for no dream
at all.

Authenticity would make the SCA a much better place, but it must be
an authenticity which begins with the organization itself. Only if
the world in which we are living provides a working feudal system
and a social order which has something to do with the Middle Ages,
will personal authenticity really feel worthwhile.

William