I mean...I was originally considering majoring in Medieval Studies. The main reason I bailed is that I HATE THEOLOGY and it's impossible, as you know, Telophase-Bob, to understand medieval Europe without a thorough grounding in CHRISTIANITY. I would adore a chance to play in those stomping-grounds!
It actually pisses me off that if you're in a minority you get put in the Minority Box! I loved the Iliad and the Odyssey, and I think people were thrown when I wrote "Variations on an Apple," which is a space opera retelling of the Temptation of Paris/selections from the Iliad, because it was "out of my lane" - but the truth is that I teethed on classical mythology, and as an American writer who grew up on Western literature, it is IMPOSSIBLE to escape that as part of my literary DNA!
My history profs were all about what impact medieval and Renaissance thought had on the modern day and wanted us to debate free will and crap like that while I was like I WANT TO KNOW WHAT PEOPLE WORE, WHAT THEY ATE, AND HOW THEY DID STUFF. Which is why I escaped into Anthropology instead. I'm basically a social historian at heart. (Only my social history prof wanted to teach us to learn how to read and analyze history books instead of teaching us the history part...arg. OK, yeah, valid skill but ARGH not what I wanted out of that class.)
re: the Minority Box. That has to be frustrating as all hell!
Ah, I feel your pain! My dilemma was different - I took a ton of history classes (almost everything the department offered that had the word "war" in the title, because I am a Yoon) and Cornell at the time was really good at social history, and ASS at military history of the nitty-gritty tactics/strategy that I craved - a couple professors offered strategy & tactics but mostly it was social history. (I really think, in retrospect, that you'd have to go to a military academy for what I wanted, which obviously wasn't going to happen given that I've never in my life been able to do a push-up.) And, I mean, I was interested in the social history too because it's SO USEFUL as writing fodder, as you know, Telophase-Bob - but I would have liked a little more military stuff. XD
But basically, not just Extruded European Fantasy Product but authors like Guy Gavriel Kay and K. J. Parker were catnip for me, although Parker is a COMPLETE CYNIC and Kay gradually seemed to phase out of actually putting magic in his fantasies, which was the part that I really liked.
Happy to any time - either over email, or if Zoom is easier, we could schedule a time. (We could use the established Zoom link wot you know - it's open any time for our use.) My schedule is pretty flexible most days. :)
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It actually pisses me off that if you're in a minority you get put in the Minority Box! I loved the Iliad and the Odyssey, and I think people were thrown when I wrote "Variations on an Apple," which is a space opera retelling of the Temptation of Paris/selections from the Iliad, because it was "out of my lane" - but the truth is that I teethed on classical mythology, and as an American writer who grew up on Western literature, it is IMPOSSIBLE to escape that as part of my literary DNA!
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re: the Minority Box. That has to be frustrating as all hell!
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But basically, not just Extruded European Fantasy Product but authors like Guy Gavriel Kay and K. J. Parker were catnip for me, although Parker is a COMPLETE CYNIC and Kay gradually seemed to phase out of actually putting magic in his fantasies, which was the part that I really liked.
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