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History/politics cutoff point

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Helen_Davis

History/politics cutoff point

Post by Helen_Davis » Sat November 2nd, 2013, 8:46 pm

If this has been debated before I apologize, I'm just curious-- is there a 'cut-off' date between the two? I am curious since I am interested in Angela Merkel and what is going on there in the EU. Since she's alive today I know obviously she would be political. I'm pretty young, so I consider 1970s and before historical. Any thoughts?

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Post by John Sliz » Tue December 17th, 2013, 1:59 pm

As far as I am concerned if it happened before today it is history.

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Misfit
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Post by Misfit » Tue December 17th, 2013, 3:22 pm

I missed this thread when it got started, apologies. I think it's been said somewhere that the 50s are the cutoff point? That would make sense for older peeps like me, the 70s were years I lived in, and I can't imagine thinking of them as historical. That said, for you younger whipper snappers, I can see the 70s as being a historical period.

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donroc
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Post by donroc » Tue December 17th, 2013, 4:15 pm

History for you young'ns = current events for my generation. :D
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Post by DianeL » Wed December 18th, 2013, 12:20 am

I've seen a mobile line drawn in the past couple of years, pinning the question to the author - if an author born in the eighties writes about the sixties, they are writing historical. But an author born in the forties writing about the sixties is not. It has a certain logic, but I'm open to a pretty subjective interpretation and, for me, I tend to judge historical from my personal perspective. I can't think of anything from the past fifty years as "historical", personally, and even the rest of the 20th century I would probably look at more just as a story than historical.

As far as making the distinction historical/political, I'm not sure the options are compelling. Not all historicals are apolitical, by a very long shot, and political writing transcends the period in which it's either fictionally or accurately set. A work could be both or neither.
Last edited by DianeL on Wed December 18th, 2013, 12:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Helen_Davis

Post by Helen_Davis » Sat December 21st, 2013, 3:23 am

[quote=""DianeL""]I've seen a mobile line drawn in the past couple of years, pinning the question to the author - if an author born in the eighties writes about the sixties, they are writing historical. But an author born in the forties writing about the sixties is not. It has a certain logic, but I'm open to a pretty subjective interpretation and, for me, I tend to judge historical from my personal perspective. I can't think of anything from the past fifty years as "historical", personally, and even the rest of the 20th century I would probably look at more just as a story than historical.

As far as making the distinction historical/political, I'm not sure the options are compelling. Not all historicals are apolitical, by a very long shot, and political writing transcends the period in which it's either fictionally or accurately set. A work could be both or neither.[/quote]

Thanks and especially very true about your last paragraph.

Donroc-- very funny!

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Post by DianeL » Sat December 21st, 2013, 9:16 pm

Heh - something of a restatement of Donroc's point, really, but thank you. :) I'm fascinated by the idea of making the author the measure, and it seems like it could go the same way, measuring "historical" by audience/reader too (settings 10-20 years before they were around being historical, etc.)
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Helen_Davis

Post by Helen_Davis » Sun August 3rd, 2014, 2:02 am

BUMP

So if I were to write about Angela Merkel it would not be historical but just a story, but whereas, say, anovel about Eleanor Roosevelt would be historical?
Last edited by Helen_Davis on Tue July 25th, 2017, 10:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by DianeL » Sun August 3rd, 2014, 9:14 pm

Sounds right to me! For all that's worth. ;)
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Post by Divia » Sun August 3rd, 2014, 10:42 pm

Yep.
Thats what I would say.
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