Fourth of July & Fantasy?
Tomorrow is the Fourth of July, and so I feel the need to go just a little off-topic and wander through some of the mythology that has arisen around the founding of our country. One of the ideas made popular by recent works of fiction is that Freemasonry played a pivotal role in the birth of the United States. I have an interest in this because my own dear ol' dad is a Master Mason and we've always talked about the various Masonic symbols that crop up in everyday life - like the all-seeing eye on the dollar bill, for example. I also saw a really interesting engraving of George Washington on exhibit during a recent visit to the New York Public Library where our first President was shown surrounded by Masonic symbols, wearing his apron. Fascinating stuff!
But it's really hard for us to know in this day and age just how much of an impact Masonry had on the founders of our country. Like the mythology surrounding the Knights Templar, it's intriguing for those of us who write fiction, but it's a fine line between fiction and fact.
One interesting site I found stated: "Benjamin Franklin was a Freemason whose unique socializing skills included attending gatherings of the English Hell Fire Club, a secret society focused on sex, pornography and politics." (Darn, talk of the Hell Fire Club gives me ideas! But I digress.) ;-) So, according to legend, one of our best-known founding fathers was not only a pious Freemason and serious student of the sciences, but also a bit of a bad boy. Interesting. (Thanks to the Unencyclopedia for the hilarious image.)
Now I have to admit to not having read the Da Vinci Code. Mea culpa. I figure I'll catch the movie when it hits cable. (LOL) But I did read Two Crowns for America by Katherine Kurtz a long time ago. She's not the first, nor the last I'm sure, to intermix real history with interesting ideas that came from the writer's imagination. I think some of the best fantasy mixes real history - or ideas from it - with fantastical ideas straight out of the imagination. Hence the success of things like the Da Vinci Code, Kurtz's Adept series (which I love) and so many other works of fiction.
So in that spirit, Happy Birthday America!
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Bianca D'Arc
5 comments:
I love the big bad Franklin. Too funny. There are a number of fascinating books that take what is 'known' and tweak it to become what could have been. Some in the non-fiction aisle. They can be fun and misleading too. I think it makes you remember to take EVERYTHING with a grain of salt.
Very good point, Serena! What bothers me is when folks start quoting fiction as fact. I can't tell you how many people I've met who think the stuff in the Da Vinci Code is real. Sheesh! Good idea to take everything with a healthy dose of skepticism. :)
Great post, Bianca! You know what's a great movie mixed with a bit of fantasy/alternate history/cool ideas?
"National Treasure" with Nicolas Cage. It revolves around the spoils of certain wars the Knights Templar were sworn to protect, and how clues to where the treasure is hidden is everywhere in our culture, from clues on the dollar bills, to invisible ink on the Declaration of Independence.
I LOVE that movie. I love it because of the original ideas. Would they really be able to steal the TRUE Declaration of Independence? Unlikely. But damn fun in the process. Besides, the film has Sean Bean as the bad guy, and ain't nothin' wrong with Sean Bean. LOL
Actually, according to IMDB.com, it looks as if Mr. Cage is currently working on a sequel to this movie, "National Treasure: Book of Secrets". I'll watch that too!
~~Becka
Hmmm you want 13 books, well,
there's Mary Jo Putney's Guardian series,Mercedes Lackey's
Elemental masters series & not forgetting Lauren Willig who has a wonderful take on the regency with her chick lit meets The Scarlet Pimpernel romp The Secret History Of the Pink Carnation & it's 2 follow-up companions
Ghost Hunters went down into the Hell Fire Club's underground tunnels while they were in England. Which are built under a church. It was mentioned that Ben did hang with them.
Mostly it was just a club formed to buck and make fun of the establishement - namely the church.
You can visit the caves if you're ever in England - it's a big tourist attraction now.
I also love National Treasure :), and love a good mystery/treasure hunt. See my YA series next year if you have doubts. LOL
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