Historical Fiction

I open the two doors in the morning to catch the breeze, and watch the sun rise a little later each day. I peer through the two doors in the late afternoon, and catch sunset just a tad earlier each evening. Augustus has once more followed Julius on our sturdy rock's yearly revolution around the sun, and I find myself knee deep watching The Tudors these  late midsummer evenings. The fictional license blend of historical people, places and events all set within a great story snares my pea brain every time. I loved HBO's Rome and Deadwood, and this Showtime offering certainly captivates my imagination.  

Since I'm just through season two of The Tudors, I'll reserve final judgment when I finish the series. Both Rome and Deadwood suffered the fate of having too high quality, and thus too costly, productions that were forced to finish their runs before the creators really wanted them to end. Rome's ending was far too abbreviated, while Deadwood just closed like a brilliant play in mid-act because too few asses found the seats and channel each week. Art be damned if ratings points be too small.

The sets and costumes of this current history-as-fiction series I'm engrossed in are the stuff of eye candy. The many intricate plots to advance one group and punish other alliances blends a stew of ancient, modern, barbaric and sublime elements that makes a person ponder if certain animosities can ever be overcome. And really, this makes historical fiction a keen recipe for exploration of our current inescapable dilemmas.

As the news of our every day unfolds with the same unending conflicts between the same unending rivalries it becomes a real struggle for any idealist to imagine peace and harmony for even the briefest consecutive periods of moments. As I watch Henry VIII decide Catherine has lost her value, then remove Anne for failure to deliver, and cozy up with Jane, I visualize these real women of yesterday as the representations of corporate entities, and maybe Microsoft plays the King in our world today. The King's ladies are cast as the various necessary acquisitions to maintain balance, power and deliver a specific type of  product advantage by giving birth to a technological successor of the original. Anyone can conjure from the corporate giants of our digital media communications age the various major nation state leaders to assume the dominion roles of our 16th Century drama. A  collection of the privileged who cajole, bicker, battle and vie for virtual control over the lives and destinies of the common folk.       

The consequence of failure in the corporate world today has been transformed since Henry's time. No one tied to a stake and set ablaze, or submerged in a boiling vat of water if caught working on behalf of the wrong allegiance happens today for those on top. In this era we have the golden parachute for thieves and scoundrels of the court who betray the public and private trusts.  For common people in many places today you simply are not allowed the device, the access, or the ownership of content without major compromises.
 
Change is all around us, even though so many things seem to remain fixed. Sunset arrives and the two doors close.

Thanks for the visit.