This summer, I reread Pastwatch for the third time. In the past two weeks, I reread Journeyman and Heartfire, and for the first time, Crystal City, which I finished approximately ten minutes ago.
I think it would be interesting to take a break from the Alvin series for a short spell and read Pastwatch in between Heartfire and Crystal City. Although they take place in very time periods, the cross over of the Central American culture in these two books is uncanny.
Pastwatch was published in 1996 and Crystal City in 2003... Though separated by almost a decade, perhaps one influenced the other???
Any thoughts??
Posts: 6 | Registered: Feb 2007
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Jenga650: Although they take place in very time periods, the cross over of the Central American culture in these two books is uncanny.
posted
I haven't read Crystal City yet, but there's a Pastwatch-y, South/ Central American setting short story in Folk of the Fringe, IIRC. You might be interested, if you haven't read that collection yet.
Posts: 834 | Registered: Jun 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Jenga650: An interesting recommendation...
This summer, I reread Pastwatch for the third time. In the past two weeks, I reread Journeyman and Heartfire, and for the first time, Crystal City, which I finished approximately ten minutes ago.
I think it would be interesting to take a break from the Alvin series for a short spell and read Pastwatch in between Heartfire and Crystal City. Although they take place in very time periods, the cross over of the Central American culture in these two books is uncanny.
Pastwatch was published in 1996 and Crystal City in 2003... Though separated by almost a decade, perhaps one influenced the other???
Any thoughts??
I suspect that the influence was from his Mormon "Sunday School" (or whatever that church uses for childhood religious education), which naturally, considering the nature of the Book of Mormon, would have quite a bit about pre-Columbian American History, especially the more civilized areas. I remember getting a book from my High School library that was somewhere between fiction and Central American Archaeology, and didn't realize its religious nature until the "This Religion is the correct one" pitch near the end--at which point I recognized its general nature from its resemblence to some of the reading put out by my own church.
Which is not faulting OSC, IMHO--every writer comes from where he/she comes from: it's up to the reader to sort it out.
Posts: 69 | Registered: Jan 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
Actually, Mormon Sunday School is woefully lacking in pre-Columbian studies. Semitic culture and KJV etymology are probably the most popular "scholarly" pursuits in the typical Mormon Sunday School.
Posts: 763 | Registered: Aug 1999
| IP: Logged |
quote:I suspect that the influence was from his Mormon "Sunday School" (or whatever that church uses for childhood religious education), which naturally, considering the nature of the Book of Mormon, would have quite a bit about pre-Columbian American History, especially the more civilized areas
Not really. If anything, there is avoidance of such studies because a lot of people have something akin to a "young-earth" understanding of the Book of Mormon and see research as an enemy of faith, and flip out when scientists find very old human remains in the Americas or say the fossil record does not support the existence of more than 3 horses in pre-Columbian America.
What's funny to me is how the "copper scroll" found in the Dead Sea caves is not called "brass" even though that's technically what it is. I guess turnabout is fair play.
Card's focus on the human sacrifice rites of the meso-Americans has been fairly unique among Mormons I've known, at least until Apocalypto came out.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Guys, this is great... I had never really considered that his Mormon upbringing may explain this recurring theme in his books...
As for specific references to the meso-American culture, I think Pastwatch kind of speaks for itself, becuase that is where the entire book is set..
****SPOILER ALERT***** As for the Alvin stories, I was referring mostly to Crystal City, where Arthur Stuart and Calvin end up in Mexico City. Calvin is about to be sacrificed (and there is a good amount of discussion about the Mexica's practices of human sacrifice in general) and Arthur Stuart saves Jim Bowie and his men from dying in a volcano. Calvin uses his powers to stay alive. **********
Liz B., thanks for the Folk on the Fringe recommendation, I will have to check that out.
These connections could make for an interesting literary critique.
I think it's quite possible that OSC might just be really interested in this period/location of history!! Posts: 6 | Registered: Feb 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
Certainly I can get that if you're thinking about preventing the American Indian holocaust, it might show up in more than one book.
Posts: 1877 | Registered: Apr 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I doubt very much it has to do with his "Mormon" upbringing as it does with his having served a mission in Brazil. My understanding of some of his essays and reviews shows his fondness for the area. So naturally it will have made itself into his works.
Mormon Sunday School for children (known as Primary) absolutely does not focus on central american themes. Do they come up? Sure, but so do middle-east themes from the KJV.
Card probably just has a fondness for the subject. Just like I have a fondness for Colonial America. I like it most, and know more about it, so it'll be what I discuss most intelligently. (At least I hope so. LOL)
Posts: 176 | Registered: Sep 2006
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
