Sep 9, 2022·edited Sep 9, 2022Liked by Daniel W. Davison
Great essay, and I hope you'll do more like this in the future! I totally agree with your take on world building. It's a common disagreement between my husband and I when we read stories. He wants the magic system to make sense. I could care less about it if the characters are engaging. I am okay with not knowing, and I also admittedly don't understand science in any meaningful way in real life. So I'm fine with not understanding it when I read fiction as well.
The second part of this essay was very spooky. What made you stop reading Apuleius after that experience? Did they relate in some way to you? And also, a request that you write about your haunted room at Yale? Pretty please?
Thank you for this thoughtful comment, Shaina! You’ve inspired me to tell the ghost story in an upcoming essay. By the way, your work on the topic of the Wendigo is fascinating! I’m really enjoying it. I had an idea for a short story loosely based in that my told from the point of view of an early 19th century “factor” working at a remote post on behalf of the Hudsons Bay Company. I don’t know that I’ll ever get around to writing it, but it’s a cool topic and, as your bringing to light, much more complicated than it comes across in popular literature, like Stephen King’s “Pet Semetary” and Agernon Blackwood’s “The Wendigo”.
As for the reason I stopped reading the Latin version of Apuleius, it was because my grandfather was an important person in my life. Generally, when I have a crisis moment, it results in a disruption to a routine of mine that I never wholly return to again. In this case, my idea of reading through my Loeb classical Latin books got back-burnered. I still have (what I believe are) scholarly interests, but they’ve been channeled elsewhere.
Very interesting! I think I agree about the world building in fantasy. I don't read very much anymore, but my frame of reference is mythology. Mythological systems don't generally worry about explaining the "science" behind the miraculous forces and events that drive their narratives. But they do have their own internal logic, and that seems to be reason enough to bind the characters and action of the story to their purpose.
And I agree with the others that you should definitely do some more essays!
Thank you, Jacquie. I can tell by the style of your novel that we’re kindred spirits in that regard. I think it’s an oversimplification to call your work a historical novel. It’s an immersive form of speculative fiction in that you’re taking a part of history that has become highly mythologized over the centuries (Scythians, Amazons) and offering a credible portrait of how the myths might have come about.
I’m terrified of horses, and they know it. So it’s interesting seeing how that aspect of your story is developed. Somewhat related to that, I seem to recall reading a book at one point about the Mongols. The account suggested that the Mongols’ horses were affected by a worm or parasite that made the horses bleed. This added to the terror of the cavalry, because it seemed that they were riding devil horses.
That's kind of you to say. I like the idea of my novel being speculative. There is no way my subject could be purely historical, and working in that grey area between myth and history is for me part of what makes writing it so engaging. It always bugged me when archaeologists would look at an artifact and claim definitively: this 10,000 year old figurine is The Mother Goddess and represents fertility. I'd be like, maybe, but you don't really know that. At least when I write fiction, I admit that and then get to ask, but what if...?
I think we're also kindred spirits in our "occult" library shelves. I got a kick out of that picture because I have half of those books!
And yeah, like anything else, horses can definitely be intimidating if you're not used to being around them. I've been riding since I was 5 and training horses professionally for over 20 years now, so obviously I adore them :-) I think I read something about the Heavenly Horses that sweated blood. Someone suggested they might have had a skin parasite? (I can't think of a parasite that does that, though severe insect bites can cause blood streaks on sweaty horses). I've always wondered if they meant the Akhal-Teke horses of the Turkmen, which are some of the most stunning animals on earth (I have a mild obsession with them.)
Great essay, and I hope you'll do more like this in the future! I totally agree with your take on world building. It's a common disagreement between my husband and I when we read stories. He wants the magic system to make sense. I could care less about it if the characters are engaging. I am okay with not knowing, and I also admittedly don't understand science in any meaningful way in real life. So I'm fine with not understanding it when I read fiction as well.
The second part of this essay was very spooky. What made you stop reading Apuleius after that experience? Did they relate in some way to you? And also, a request that you write about your haunted room at Yale? Pretty please?
Thank you for this thoughtful comment, Shaina! You’ve inspired me to tell the ghost story in an upcoming essay. By the way, your work on the topic of the Wendigo is fascinating! I’m really enjoying it. I had an idea for a short story loosely based in that my told from the point of view of an early 19th century “factor” working at a remote post on behalf of the Hudsons Bay Company. I don’t know that I’ll ever get around to writing it, but it’s a cool topic and, as your bringing to light, much more complicated than it comes across in popular literature, like Stephen King’s “Pet Semetary” and Agernon Blackwood’s “The Wendigo”.
As for the reason I stopped reading the Latin version of Apuleius, it was because my grandfather was an important person in my life. Generally, when I have a crisis moment, it results in a disruption to a routine of mine that I never wholly return to again. In this case, my idea of reading through my Loeb classical Latin books got back-burnered. I still have (what I believe are) scholarly interests, but they’ve been channeled elsewhere.
Thank you for reading the Wendigo series. It disturbs me deeply and I've been obsessed with researching it!
Very interesting! I think I agree about the world building in fantasy. I don't read very much anymore, but my frame of reference is mythology. Mythological systems don't generally worry about explaining the "science" behind the miraculous forces and events that drive their narratives. But they do have their own internal logic, and that seems to be reason enough to bind the characters and action of the story to their purpose.
And I agree with the others that you should definitely do some more essays!
Thank you, Jacquie. I can tell by the style of your novel that we’re kindred spirits in that regard. I think it’s an oversimplification to call your work a historical novel. It’s an immersive form of speculative fiction in that you’re taking a part of history that has become highly mythologized over the centuries (Scythians, Amazons) and offering a credible portrait of how the myths might have come about.
I’m terrified of horses, and they know it. So it’s interesting seeing how that aspect of your story is developed. Somewhat related to that, I seem to recall reading a book at one point about the Mongols. The account suggested that the Mongols’ horses were affected by a worm or parasite that made the horses bleed. This added to the terror of the cavalry, because it seemed that they were riding devil horses.
That's kind of you to say. I like the idea of my novel being speculative. There is no way my subject could be purely historical, and working in that grey area between myth and history is for me part of what makes writing it so engaging. It always bugged me when archaeologists would look at an artifact and claim definitively: this 10,000 year old figurine is The Mother Goddess and represents fertility. I'd be like, maybe, but you don't really know that. At least when I write fiction, I admit that and then get to ask, but what if...?
I think we're also kindred spirits in our "occult" library shelves. I got a kick out of that picture because I have half of those books!
And yeah, like anything else, horses can definitely be intimidating if you're not used to being around them. I've been riding since I was 5 and training horses professionally for over 20 years now, so obviously I adore them :-) I think I read something about the Heavenly Horses that sweated blood. Someone suggested they might have had a skin parasite? (I can't think of a parasite that does that, though severe insect bites can cause blood streaks on sweaty horses). I've always wondered if they meant the Akhal-Teke horses of the Turkmen, which are some of the most stunning animals on earth (I have a mild obsession with them.)
This was so interesting to read, Daniel! I loved it. I’m with Shaina, please do more of these in the future.
Well, you’re the inspiration for my doing this in the first place. 😊