Ron:
I think I will have to disagree somewhat. All authors (or other
producers of "culture") have and should have 'literary
license'; however, I have never understood the distortion of history (or
archaeology) unless it was done for a specific reason
by the author. If it is just being lazy or ignorant that is a basis for
criticism. An author might well want to set 'Julius Caesar '
in the 1970s or have his betrayer as Kissinger rather than Brutus, etc.
etc., if it serves some purpose.
I do think, however, that a TV show I saw on the Old Testament
about a year ago which mixed up several of the characters
and stories for no apparent reason is just stupid. You can image what
religious people thought. If some author pictures archaeologists as digging
up dinosaurs, for no apparent reason, that author should be called on it in
any review.
By the way, on another subject, I do not think that we should
write a "group mind" book. However, I have always
wished that some of you in Historical Archaeology would do some childrens'
(young) books. I would but I probably do not
have the ability. For example:
THE LOST FORTS - (Jamestown Fort, Raleigh Fort and Fort Necessity)
- well illustrated.
Finally I will end this off-the-subject theme with two jokes:
(1) Many years back one of my historical archaeology graduate students told
Murray Murphey, Chair of the Department of
American Civilization, that he/he believed that Thomas Jefferson was the
President of the United States during the Civil
War. How is that for "literary license". I have never lived that one down.
(2) The only historical archaeology joke I have ever heard going around is:
There were two industrial archaeologists doing a survey in the
woods when they discovered two linear iron
artifacts in situ. They began to carefully map, draw and
photograph these finds and they were doing a
great job until they were run over by a train.
RLS
At 03:53 AM 10/29/2003 -0500, you wrote:
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>I just dont agree that a fiction author has to do academic research before
>writing a popularized book that uses archaeology as a vehicle for
>entertainment.
>You guys are nutzoid if you believe scholarship is an ethic for fiction
>writers. Do you critics think the authors are college students, or worse, your
>students? Get real!
>
>Ron May
>Legacy 106, Inc.
>
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>I just dont agree that a fiction author has to do academic research bef=
>ore writing a popularized book that uses archaeology as a vehicle for
>entert= ainment. You guys are nutzoid if you believe scholarship is an
>ethic for fic= tion writers. Do you critics think the authors are college
>students, or wors= e, your students? Get real!
>
>Ron May
>Legacy 106, Inc.
>
>--Boundary_(ID_IniD1ND0Ml8uYPjEi/lE3g)--
Robert L. Schuyler
University of Pennsylvania Museum
33rd & Spruce Streets
Philadelphia, PA l9l04-6324
Tel: (215) 898-6965
Fax: (215) 898-0657
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