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Re: Modern Personal Conveniences




Poster: E L Wimett <SILVERDRAGON@Charleston.Net>

One gentle recently wrote:

>>Wasn't the search for the medieval what SCA was founded on?  

Well, no.  This is a relatively recent canard circulated by some 
of the more extreme authenticity buffs and those who were 
indoctrinated by them when they joined in the not-so-distant past
(with a nice minority of revisionist Society historians who are
willing to rewrite history to "go along").

Even if we had no witnesses for the early tourneys, had no records for
the first dozen years of the Society or records for any offices like the
College of Arms, we might be able to guess that this was not the original
goal by inference from the fact that anachronism is built into not only
the name but the structure of the Society: Vikings and Elizabethans and 
Goths and Renaissance maidens, etc. in the same place and time.

Remember that many of the leading members of the Society in its early years
were SF and fantasy authors with a strong medievalist nostalgia tilt (but
medievalist heavily filtered through 19th century Rossettiesque glasses in 
many cases).  Those who are familiar with the earlier (i.e., pre-1965 ) work of 
folk who were the early SCA leaders will get a definite feel for the approach:
Poul Anderson (Bela of Eastmarch, whose "Three Hearts and Three Lions" should be
required reading for any historian of the SCA), Gordy Dickson (Dorsai filk were 
still common in many post-revels when I joined the Society and anyone who has
not read the original "Dragon and the George"should to get a hint of some of the
early SCA sensibility), Marion Zimmer Bradley (literally co-founder of the East
Realm), Katharine Kurtz (who as Bevin Fraser of Sterling was still active
enough to serve as Steward --- the title then used for national president of the
Society for the newcomers amongst you --- in the late 1980's), well the list
 goes on and on, but you get the idea.

In other words, if there was a search for anything in the early Society, it was 
for Callahan's or possibly Gramarye (yes, I know that the Society apparently 
suggested Gramarye, not the other way around).  But not "the medieval" in the
sense of totally authentic style and action. . .

Alisoun 
(who does not consider herself a real oldtime since she joined in A. S. XII)
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