Midas
06-30-2007, 11:02 AM
No, this is not particularly an appreciation of the actual writings, but of the conditions under which they produced those momentous classics that will live as long as man (and women) can read, or enjoy the visual presentations of their writings - writers like Shakespeare, Spencer, Marlowe, Moore, Cervantes et al.
It is believed that Shakespeare wrote about 37 plays, plus his sonnets and poems. The full extent of his writings is not known because of inadequate records from that period. If you don't particularly care for Shakespeare, pick up any one of those plays and note the quality of the writing. Also, the extent of the writer's knowledge from which they draw.
Now, think of when you last wrote a letter, or an essay at school. How much thought was required during the process - even a simple communication to a friend or relative.
Let us go back in time to the sixteenth century - the time of Shakespeare and his contemporaries.
Turn your mind to your writing a simple short story, about which during your waking hours you had thoughts culminating in an idea for a plot, which came to you whilst out walking.
You reach in your pocket for a pen or pencil. Oops, sorry, ball points, fountain pens, or even pencils had not been invented, nor had pocket notebooks. So, you could not jot down those thoughts, and ideas, for later.
You must keep them in your mind until you get home.
You are living in a period where there is no electric, or even gas light - inside the home, or out. Come evening, it becomes dark. All you have is the firelight, and perhaps a candle (but they were expensive). You may have some form of crude oil lamp that gives a dim, smelly, light.
Paper, parchment, or vellum for writing is expensive and not so readily available, so you must watch you don't make errors, or mess up your material. You reach for your pen - a quill made from a feather. Try writing with one, it is an art in itself and prone to making blobs of ink as you 'scratch' out your writing, besides staining the finger. Every so often you must stop to sharpen the 'nib' end of the quill.
The strain on the eyes in that dim light make you tired
You feel you need a short break - can't go to make a cup of tea, or coffee - no refrigerator for a quick snack, can't send for a pizza.. You struggle on in that dimly lit and smelly atmosphere from the fire and candle.
There is no running water through a tap to ease your thirst.
In the end you collapse on that hard bed with, if you are lucky, its crude straw mattress.
In the morning, no flush toilet, no toilet paper for the seat with a hole over a tub in a crude draughty cold shed outside; no bathroom; no shower to refresh yourself. There are no matches to light the morning fire - only the laborious, time consuming effort of using some flint like striking gadget - anything that will create a spark after some hard physical effort.
Back to that writing to get as much done as possible before the evening brings the darkness once again.
**************
The next time you pick up a book, even from one of those Victorian writers, especially early Victorian, who fared little better, think of the conditions in which they wrote and all the things they lacked which we have in abundance.
To those still at school, pay attention to the social history lessons for they help us understand how life was like for our ancestors.
We so easily forget, or never bother to think about, the fact that in order for us to be here, to exist, then we have someone, in fact many thousands of relatives, who have lived their lives through all these periods.
Someone related to us, yes to you, lived at the time of Shakespeare, and beyond and experienced the conditions which were familair to them. In our genes, and therefore through us, they live on.
It is believed that Shakespeare wrote about 37 plays, plus his sonnets and poems. The full extent of his writings is not known because of inadequate records from that period. If you don't particularly care for Shakespeare, pick up any one of those plays and note the quality of the writing. Also, the extent of the writer's knowledge from which they draw.
Now, think of when you last wrote a letter, or an essay at school. How much thought was required during the process - even a simple communication to a friend or relative.
Let us go back in time to the sixteenth century - the time of Shakespeare and his contemporaries.
Turn your mind to your writing a simple short story, about which during your waking hours you had thoughts culminating in an idea for a plot, which came to you whilst out walking.
You reach in your pocket for a pen or pencil. Oops, sorry, ball points, fountain pens, or even pencils had not been invented, nor had pocket notebooks. So, you could not jot down those thoughts, and ideas, for later.
You must keep them in your mind until you get home.
You are living in a period where there is no electric, or even gas light - inside the home, or out. Come evening, it becomes dark. All you have is the firelight, and perhaps a candle (but they were expensive). You may have some form of crude oil lamp that gives a dim, smelly, light.
Paper, parchment, or vellum for writing is expensive and not so readily available, so you must watch you don't make errors, or mess up your material. You reach for your pen - a quill made from a feather. Try writing with one, it is an art in itself and prone to making blobs of ink as you 'scratch' out your writing, besides staining the finger. Every so often you must stop to sharpen the 'nib' end of the quill.
The strain on the eyes in that dim light make you tired
You feel you need a short break - can't go to make a cup of tea, or coffee - no refrigerator for a quick snack, can't send for a pizza.. You struggle on in that dimly lit and smelly atmosphere from the fire and candle.
There is no running water through a tap to ease your thirst.
In the end you collapse on that hard bed with, if you are lucky, its crude straw mattress.
In the morning, no flush toilet, no toilet paper for the seat with a hole over a tub in a crude draughty cold shed outside; no bathroom; no shower to refresh yourself. There are no matches to light the morning fire - only the laborious, time consuming effort of using some flint like striking gadget - anything that will create a spark after some hard physical effort.
Back to that writing to get as much done as possible before the evening brings the darkness once again.
**************
The next time you pick up a book, even from one of those Victorian writers, especially early Victorian, who fared little better, think of the conditions in which they wrote and all the things they lacked which we have in abundance.
To those still at school, pay attention to the social history lessons for they help us understand how life was like for our ancestors.
We so easily forget, or never bother to think about, the fact that in order for us to be here, to exist, then we have someone, in fact many thousands of relatives, who have lived their lives through all these periods.
Someone related to us, yes to you, lived at the time of Shakespeare, and beyond and experienced the conditions which were familair to them. In our genes, and therefore through us, they live on.