Disagreeing With History

I’ve learned enough to be comfortable with disagreeing with professionals.

Does that sound presumptuous to you? It did to me the first time the thought occurred to me.

The first time I found a mistake in a history book was while reading The Book of Chivalry of Geoffroi de Charny, as translated by Richard W. Kaeuper and Elspeth Kennedy. I would have to reread the book to find the passage, and this essay isn’t about exactly why I thought they missed a beat in their translation, but I read a passage and it didn’t seem right to me.

The book includes both the original text in the medieval French as well as the modern English translation. When I came across this passage in the translation I immediately looked to the original text. Now, I do speak and read modern French, and several times in the past I have muddled my way through brief passages of medieval French. If you know where the modern accent circumflex (^) comes from and you know of the somewhat archaic French literary tense then it can be done with considerable difficulty. I still find the occasional word that has no obvious modem equivalent, but I can often get a sense of the meaning.

I’m not an expert, and I know it, but I’ve spent more than twenty years of my life studying knights and chivalry, which is a little redundant from a certain point of view. More than just studying the history I have tried to crawl inside the head of the medieval knight to that I could act like one.

And that is where my problem arose.

Geoffroi de Charny was the epitome of the knight of the 14th Century. He could be called the best French Knight of his era. He was the bearer of the French war banner, the Oriflamme at the Battle of Poitiers and died there with it in his hand. The Book of Chivalry was not his only book on Knighthood.

Anyone who has attempted translation knows that it is not enough to just translate the words, one must also translate the meaning. I have often been handed short translations from English to French and asked if they were accurate. Often my response is something like, “Well, these words do mean the same thing as those words, but no Frenchman would say it that way.”

When I read Geoffroi’s words, I could see that words might have been translated correctly, but the meaning expressed in English did not seem to match what the author said in medieval French. I think that my studies and attempts to understand the mind of the medieval knight gave me a different, and I think more accurate, understanding of what Geoffroi de Charny was trying to say.

That in a specific and almost certainly overly long example, but there are others.

I have read enough books by modern history professors to learn that they disagree on fundamental points. Even such seemingly simple questions as the beginning and end of the Middle Ages can lead to a wide variety of answers.

In addition to historians there are also historiographers. Historiographers study the history of history. How has the study of and writing about history changed over time. I’ve only read one book of historiography…that I remember, but it furthered my attitude that you cannot take what you read in a history book as the absolute truth.

Revisionist history is not a new phenomenon.

But, in addition to conscious, if not actively malicious, attempts to rewrite history, it must also be remembered that history is a profession and that rising to the top of that profession may require more than repeating well-known facts. Getting a PhD is supposed to require adding to the sum of human knowledge, but in the field of history it is often difficult to uncover new facts, so most doctoral candidates seem to be providing new insights into well-known facts.

This often means taking a controversial position and then drawing out facts to support it, and there can be a lot riding on how well the historian supports his position. First, there is the PhD itself. Later, the professional standing to get a better position at a better university. Finally, there is the ultimate goal of tenure.

My point in all this is that modern historians may have an axe to grind. What the facts really say or mean may be less important than grabbing an academic spotlight and making your peers stop and consider your viewpoint. I sometimes feel that modern works of history are more about showing how clever the author is than about getting to the truth.

Now, am I saying that historians are uninterested in the historical facts or that historians will twist those facts into any pretzel shape just to prove a point? No, but I am saying that the sources chosen and the passages quoted may be used to advance a position, rather than letting the facts themselves tell the story.

All history is interpretation.

The professor in my first history class told me that. I have never forgotten it. It is a good thing to remember when you pick up a history book. You are not reading history; you are reading someone’s interpretation of history.

And it is actually okay to disagree.

The Great Austin Burger Hunt

Wingzup
1000 E 41st St
Austin, TX 78751

I ended up at Wingzup up to watch the Formula 1 race from Montreal. The place is new, and seemingly relatively unknown. It looks nice inside and out, so no qualms there. It is a sports bar/eatery, so it is a bit loud. Great if you want to watch sports, not so great if you want quiet conversation.

But of course, the big question for today is....how is it if you want a great burger? Now, remember that it is a wing place, so burgers are not their focus, but they do a pretty good job.

I ordered the plainest burger, the Wingzup Burger. The burger arrived relatively quickly, but there were about 30 of us there to watch the race, so it is not too surprising that service was a touch slow. The burger came out open faced, with a slab of meat, 1/2 pound before it hit the grill, two pieces of bacon and a dollop of blue cheese dressing on one side, and lettuce, tomato, red onions and pickles on the other side. I jettisoned the tomato, onions and pickles and closed it up.

Now, two things that could be called sauce. First, that blue cheese. It was barely a dollop, and definitely not enough to make a real difference in the taste of the burger. It was a little disappointing. The second is a feature of Wingzup. Each of their burgers comes with one of their wing sauces. I ordered the Spicy Garlic...and this is important...ON THE SIDE. Remember that, it might be important to you. I had a little warning about the sauces. It was quite hot. It was good though and I used a small amount on my burger, definitely a plus, though I might try the milder garlic sauce the next time.

The burger was quite tasty, with a nice Ciabatta Roll as a plus, and marginally overcooked meat as a minus. The price wasn't bad, but it did not include fries. With a big soda, which they refilled for me, I got out the door for under $10 (just over with tip). I will not be putting Wingzup on my list of favorite burger places, but I will not avoid it, knowing now that a good burger awaits me there.

Oh, and the race was fantastic on the 20 big screen TVs.

Queen of Shadows - a review

Queen of Shadows
Dianne Sylvan
Ace 2010

"The guy next to her in the checkout line looked kind of like a vampire."

I cannot decide if that is a great first line for a novel, or one of the worst. I am leaning toward the later, but if you think it is a bad opening line, don't let it stop you from reading Queen of Shadows, by Dianne Sylvan.

Now, it might seem strange that for my second book review I would once again be reviewing a book by a friend, but it has worked out that way. The author is actually more a friend of my wife, but she is a good friend, so I'll just count it that way.

Queen of Shadows also offers another first for me. It is the first book I have reviewed, and in fact ever read, that is set in Austin, Texas, where I live. It is a little odd to read a book set where you live. When reading, I always wonder if the author has really caught the flavor of the locations in their novel. Well, I can definitely say that the author has caught the flavor of Austin.

So, the novel starts with Miranda Grey in a grocery store checkout line. She's a bit freaked out by the guy in the checkout line, because she cannot feel him. Now, it takes us a few pages more to figure out that Miranda is an empath. She can feel emotions of those around her. Miranda survives by playing music. She performs on Sixth Street in Austin, where she feeds off the emotions of the audience and feeds them back through her performance. Yes, that does sound a lot like any musical performer and performance, but with Miranda, it is a bit more literal than for most.

Unfortunately, Miranda is a bit of a wreck most of the rest of the time. She feels constantly assailed by the emotions of others and cannot escape, except through solitude, music or alcohol.

At this early point in the novel, I had problems. I didn't like Miranda. I didn't feel a great sympathy for her. She seemed pathetic, and I never have liked characters like that. But, I am not the sort to give up on a book, so I kept reading and hoped that things would get better.

Unfortunately, the major next scene in the book is...I want to say the worst in the book, but I do not mean the worst written. The scene is incredibly intense, but it is graphic in a way that truly repelled me. During this scene, I finally felt sorry for Miranda, but the violence is so graphic that I felt it actually lessened the impact. Rather than holding me on the edge of my seat, worrying about Miranda, it had me wincing and wanting to skip forward a few pages. The scene is necessary to the development of Miranda, so I cannot call it gratuitous, but the description of the violence crosses the line for me.

Obviously, Miranda is the victim of this early violence, but the scene does end in an appropriately gruesome manner, when Miranda finally snaps and turns her ability into a weapon. Rather than allowing the emotions of others to pour in and overwhelm her, she users her connection to the thoughts and emotions of her attackers to send her emotions back at them, her fear, her pain, multiplied many times. Suddenly, the attackers are begging for it to stop, as they feel everything that she feels, thrown back with all the anger inside her. In the end, she learns to kill with a thought, and each of her attackers dies suddenly.

Now, at this point in the review, I have to reveal one thing. Everything above happens in Chapter 1. The scene described above ends on page 23. So, one thing the author did very well was get us to this first important moment in the story...in a hurry. I just wanted to make sure that anyone reading this review understands that the author has not wasted unnecessary prose in presenting her protagonist.

So, back to the story....well, at least that bit I am going to reveal to you. Miranda is saved by David Solomon, the guy in the checkout line....yes, the one who looks like a vampire. He takes Miranda to his house in the Texas Hill Country, outside Austin.

Now, much earlier, in the novel, not really in this review, I have reached the point where I want to stop revealing spoilers. Obviously, I need to set the general storyline up for you, but much of the fun of reading the first novel of a fantasy series is in finding out the details of the world the author has created. Unfortunately, I cannot really set up the story without revealing some of those details. I will try to keep them to a minimum, but I hope I don't ruin it for you.

The world created by the author is the Shadow World, which is the world of...yes, you guessed it...vampires. David Solomon is the Prime vampire for the Southern States. The house in the Hill Country is his headquarters and he has taken Miranda there to heal. The Prime is chosen by something called a Signet, an amulet that glows red when the Prime puts it on. Not long after Miranda wakes up after the attack, we learn that the Prime usually has a Queen, but David does not have one. Now, close your copy of the book and look at the title of the book. Next, look at the cover art of Miranda and notice what hangs around her neck. Now, you should be able to guess at one of the small problems with the novel. It's a bit predictable.

Now, predictability isn't the worst thing in the world, if the story pulls you in and holds onto your attention. Queen of Shadows does a pretty good job of that.

The story splits at this point. Miranda heals, and David begins to show her how to control her power. In the Shadow World, there is a bit of a civil war. Here is where I will try to gloss over details and leave you to discover the story as you read. Miranda isn't really involved in the war, but David is, and so it has some effect on Miranda. In time, she heals completely, and learns enough to return to the normal world, back to her apartment in Austin.

Miranda goes back to performing and living in Austin during daylight hours...well, somewhat, she is a musician after all. Miranda starts to develop some independence, and loses almost all of the pathetic she was carrying early in the story. This is a good thing.

And this is where the plot details end.

I've already said that I found the book a bit predictable. There weren't many surprises, but there was plenty of good storytelling. Miranda develops and we learn more about David and the world he lives in. The plotline of the war is well designed, and in it there are actually a few minor surprises, but you will have to find them on your own.

One warning, for those who are easily offended. There are two rather graphic parts to the novel. One is the graphically violent scene already mentioned, and the second is a moderately graphic sex scene later in the novel. As with the violent scene, the events depicted in the scene are important to the overall plot. Both scenes are more graphic than they need to be, but imagine that as a big, somewhat sarcastic NEED. The scenes are important, and the graphic-ness (yes, I am making up words...it was almost graphicality) of the scenes is in keeping with such scenes in other urban fantasies I have read. So, be warned that you may not want your children reading it. Hopefully, that is enough said.

It is in the final climactic scenes that Miranda finally comes into her own and becomes the character who should be able to carry the rest of the series (one not yet in print and another being written). Unfortunately, it is during the last battle scenes that I feel that the author let her readers down. I cannot say too much without major spoilers, but I can say that Miranda does not get to show off as much of her newly found badassery as I would have liked to see.

But, it is enough to bring Queen of Shadows to a satisfying end. It could have been better, but only in small ways. I will be looking forward to the additional adventures of Miranda and David.

The Doldrums

That is where I seem to be lately, the doldrums, becalmed, stuck, bored.

Now, this is not exactly new territory for me, I’ve even written about the problem before.

But, there is a difference.

I have spent years in a haze of boredom, unable to find anything to hold my interest. Lately, I have found a renewed interest in the SCA, and it has driven away the doldrums major, but the doldrums minor have returned.

Or at least that is what I am hoping.

Of course, the doldrums jumped right up and I didn’t write anything for nearly two days.

That is the way of my doldrums.

Just as a footnote, this ended up sitting for another 33 hours, mostly because I forgot my tablet at home. This is the sort of thing that happens when my doldrums hit.