Scharina

Scharina

Hello! I'm an undergraduate university student majoring in English with interests in historical fiction, young adult, series, and all supernatural things.

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    Latest Articles

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    Making History: Do Current Top Hits Reflect Our Society?

    When studying history, scholars refer back to artistic work done in the time period to learn more about said time's societal behaviors, mannerisms and even etiquette. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde speaks loudly of Victorian society, Uncle Tom's Cabin of American society, The Ulster Cycle of Irish history, and more which gives us insight of past eras.

    Which therefore made me question what history would say of us. What does the million of viewers/readers for Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, etc, say about current American society, if it says anything at all? Would there be an inaccuracy if future historians were to base off their knowledge of our culture on our literature top hits? Or is history based on literature, in fact, entirely inaccurate?

    • The problem with this question is that it's virtually impossible to tell what's going to be popular for your time when you're living it. Some things that are popular fizzle out with time, whereas others endure, and the only way to tell which is which is with hindsight. I think literature can tell us something about the period in which it was written, but it requires context and background knowledge. It isn't enough to read a work from the past and immediately start speculating about what people at the time would have thought and did in their everyday lives. – Debs 5 years ago
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    • I like the idea here - that you're looking at how novels can serve as a source on history. I wonder though, if this isn't two topics that might deserve their own focus? Your first set of examples talk about seeing novels as evidence of their time, and the second set of examples (for our time) is more referring to what's popular at a given time and what that says about audiences. Now those are certainly linked, but it might be more productive to focus on one or the other. Also, your contemporary examples are both genre fiction (which says a lot about the society!) but come with their own generic codes that might transcend a time scale. So that complicates a bit. Great suggestion for a topic, though. – msnfrd 5 years ago
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    • First, how long in the future are you thinking about? I mean, it seems that in 100 or 200 years, humanity will be facing catastrophic ecological problems and maybe history and literature won't play the same role they play today in society. – T. Palomino 2 years ago
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    • Second, I don't think GOT or HP will be the best references for future generations to recapitulate historic events or eras. Besides, HP does not deal with American society, does it? – T. Palomino 2 years ago
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    • Third, history is always inaccurate... What do you even mean by 'accurate' in any case? There are interpretations or approximations to historical events, and they change depending on who tells the story and when in time. – T. Palomino 2 years ago
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    Latest Comments

    Scharina

    Loved, loved, loved this article. Just very thorough and detailed in research and impact of each film/novel. I remember reading Carmilla for my Irish Lit class and grimacing whenever I attempt to compare it with vampire academy or twilight. I have a lot of respect for the books/films that have incorporated this creature and affirmed immortality *pun intended*. I agree that it also speaks a lot for pop culture and how it progresses, and how time affects the narrative of the vampire. I look forward to watching all these movies now! Great article.

    Cinematic Vampires: From Shadows to Spotlight
    Scharina

    Interesting article with a gigantic question to answer. I think there are a lot of factors which contribute to a film being successful, but I don’t think it could be at the cost of the history. I think there’s a certain respect to have for culture and history and be accurate in setting; that shouldn’t take away from plot or character, because history indeed is just narration of events by different people. In the context of Braveheart, it wouldn’t have cost them much to at least have the costumes right. We however live in a time where history and culture is inconvenient and nagging, so filmmakers can afford to butcher it without cost.

    How Important is Historical Accuracy in Films?
    Scharina

    I’ve never really engaged in horror films not because of the horror aspect but the over-the-top cinematography, predictability and quirky stereotypical characters. However, with these “silent” films like Bird Box and A Quiet Place I was extremely impressed. My favorite movie ’till this day is Hush and it had about 3 characters. I think there is such an emphasis on the “startle effect” and precise coordination when a movie is low-budget, simple and it brings out empathy from the viewer. I cared more about families trying to survive this unseeable monster than how cool the CGI was or how loud was the intense music. I think it’s awesome that you’ve explained this silent theme historically and socially; cool article! Made me want to watch other horror films.

    Hollywood's Fascination with Silence and Horror