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From The Minister of Arts

May & June A.S. 19

Thomas Buttesthorn

In the SCA, there seems to be, eternal tension between. 'Creative' aspects of what do, and the 'Anachronistic'. If you are guessing by that I mean the old 'Authenticity vs Fun' controversy, you're right

On the one hand, you have the people who and period down to their under tunics (and beyond) and who sternly disapprove of anything less than fully documentably authentic. On the other hand, you have the person who isn't even completely certain what all that is, although it sure sounds dull, they want to party, fight, and have fun.

In this issue of the GULL, I thought I would throw in my two groats worth.

One comment most frequently heard is "But they didn't have/do that in the Middle Ages!", the reply is usually; "But what we are trying to recreate is the Middle Ages as it should have been."

Yes, we have no desire to recreate the Black Death, Dysentery, the destruction and misery caused by the 100 years war and all the wars of the time. Likewise we have no need to bring back religious intolerance, witch burning, outdoor running sewers and other 'period' aspects of the Middle Ages. But the above avowed goal of the SCA has often been stretched to allow virtually anything the individual wants it to be. True, the Middle Ages should have had ice chests, sunglasses, Walkmans, Budweiser, blue jeans, and anything else you would care to name. But they unfortunately didn't. Hence the tension.

At the same time, despite the fondest wishes of the most period and authentically inclined, this is not 1200 AD, it is 1984 . Materially, emotionally, psychologically, in fact in everyway, we must make concessions to the 20th century. We are 20th century people, all of us. We can never be fully authentic regardless of how hard we try. We may at best be only less inauthentic than someone e1se. The tension is only aggravated when a person staining to be what he/she can't be condemns someone who isn't trying.

Perhaps this conflict is fundamental and eternal and that is the end of that. Or perhaps we need to rethink just what it is we are trying to accomplish. Perhaps there is a common ground all can meet upon. It seems to me that what we have created when it is at its best rather; we have created a unique lifestyle or at least a part time mode of living which although it roots in the present and is in response to it, is based upon certain ideals and concepts which stem from Medieval Europe. These concepts were often routed through the Victorian period when the Middle Ages were greatly idealized and romanticized.

PART II

Those ideals had a pretty rough time in the former Middle Ages as a reading of history will show. Conditions aren't any better now. But they were meant to show what a person could be, not what people actually were. They were a goal, not an accomplished fact. In a sense, we have picked up the banner from the dust and must see what we can do with it. It is for us to try to accomplish these ideals (which really are for all places and times) in our own lives. Even more importantly we must be patient and tolerant of those who haven't realized this yet.

Probably the most important role that authenticity has in all of this is that as the concepts of chivalry, honour and courtesy stemmed from the Middle Ages, and as this is the period of time we are trying to recreate, it provides a focus.

The pursuit of authenticity and the fruit it bears provides a framework and a cultural definition which allows us to put some space between ourselves and the rest of the 20th century. It provides a ‘feel’, an atmosphere in which we can create an identity as a group. It is a great unifying factor. But when it becomes an end rather than a means to an end, it is possible to overlook and alienate those people who belong, but don't share that devotion.

Disregard of authenticity; non selective introduction of mundane items, speech and lifestyle, on the other hand can only cut into that feel. It interferes with the feel and the enjoyment of others and constitutes an invasion of their sensibilities and fun. It is culturally confusing, destructive of the eclectic medieval atmosphere and tends to blur the focus. It can, if widespread enough, make an event (for some people) little better than any mundane gathering.

What I feel is a viable way to approach this dichotomy is to be selective, to try to get a feel for what I call 'The Spirit of the Middle Ages'. Just as we try to pick out the best aspects of that period for our use, we can use authentic period crafts and skills as a platform for growth and expression now. Start with what they actually did and go on from there. Explore the essence of what was through the eyes of what is. Get a feeling for what fits into this eclectic entity we call the 'Current Middle Ages'; what adds to the atmosphere and what detracts, what 'feels' SCA.

Just as we want to eliminate the worst aspects of the past, we should also filter out those aspects of the present that erode the feel of our society. This is not saying that they have no value or place in the sun, only that it's not here.

It is this synthesis of the best of the past with the best of the present which I feel represents the best path toward the future. Authenticity should be a key to release the spirit of the Middle Ages, not a lock to confine it. At the same time, without the focus, form and structure authenticity provides, it would eventually collapse of its own weight.

It is my feeling that a balanced approach to this question presents the best means by which we can remain what we are while remaining a growing, dynamic culture.

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