Fictional universes of different structure

These will overlap with religious views but don't take offence at the label of fictional. The observable universe so far is one thing but what we believe or used to believe is still of importance to our lives and cultures. The story of our understanding of the universe is incredibly interesting and this is partially the result of our collective thoughts over thousands of years.

The universes noted below are those that can be freely chosen for writing a text, although they are more likely to be chosen for fantasy, science fiction, romance, paranormal and horror texts than any other sort. 

The flat world in an unobserved universe
This world in the be all and end all of existence and the universe surrounding it almost like a painting or kaleidoscope in importance. The revolutionaries of this world will take note of the as yet unobserved universe but most will simply be enchanted by the sight of it only. Otherwise, life revolves around daily events and the importance of things with immediate consequences (few will be thinking in terms of centuries or global events). The universe may be extremely limited but it does offer an opportunity for its inhabitants to be greatly shocked by an encounter with something other from another part of the universe, being it a living being or otherwise. Also, this universe offers an opportunity to focus intensely upon the minute events and reactions and build them up as representatives of greater events in reality. 


The three-four layer universe where navigation is based on life, death and your actions
Commonly referred to as Heaven, Earth, Purgatory (often left out nowadays) and Hell. For the purposes of fiction this universe is often restricted in the living world to just Earth and extended in the death-based worlds to overlapping or layered eternities. This universe structure contains beings of non-human origin and great power who often control, enslave, manipulate, ignore or care for humans. On top of that, there are some stereotypical experiences the dead will have to go through although these experiences can be manipulated in fiction or written out entirely. Common mode of travel is a portal like transfer, either a white one or a fiery one. The most uncommon mode of travel is to Purgatory and is often explained as a fading from existence as going to Purgatory is essentially to become lost to the world and the other destination. This universe is useful for moralistic stories and for the inclusion of certain types of monsters and creatures.

The land of the gods and the land of mortals

The universe is made and controlled by gods of various natures who represent in some way traits of the living. Given this relationship, it is odd but the gods are responsible for who making the living, and usually the head god or first set of gods. Creation of the living could be a whim of a god, a display of power, a result of some manipulation of reality for another cause (happy accident), the result of a battle between gods or the natural result of the right number of gods popping into existence or being born of the original gods. In this respect, the living aren't always the only ones reflected in the gods but also the universe. If this is the case then there will be gods for night and day or light and darkness, for birth and death and even possibly the void. This universe offers the opportunity to show distorted or clear reflections of the living and the universe through the characterisation of the gods and their relationships with each other. These reflections can be pointed and hint at the political or philosophical if desired. Also, as there are gods and often monsters included in the land of the gods there is an opportunity to have this universal structure overlay the three-four layer universe.

The single observable universe

Science rules this universe and by that I mean the science of the day or the aspects of current science understandable to the layman. There is no world after death that the characters may go to as such places have not be scientifically observed. Due to this the universe is both infinite and flat at once. This universe structure offers the opportunity to write hard-core scientific or speculative fiction that forces the reader to face reality head on. You can write rather harsh texts or you can create beautiful and intricate worlds within your universe, as long as the base information and scientific principles used are possible or plausible within the real world.

The pinhead universe or universe within universes

This universe structure is often hard to write but rather easy to illustrate. The world as known by the characters is in essence a single atom, particle, slice, bubble, sliver or whatnot of a larger universe which in turn could be of similar importance to an even larger universe. The point of this is to indicate just how minute and trivial the character's existence is. Conversely, for anyone who understands the nature of the real universe, pointing out that our existence is tiny will not necessarily lead to them believing their existence is trivial as subatomic particles and the chaos associated with them are absolutely necessary to not just our existence but the universe's. Small stuff is both important and trivial at once and these ideas can be played with endlessly using the pinhead or universe within universes model.

The multiverse

The multiverse structure is normally created through layering single observable universes next to each other but occasionally they are written to cross, to include voids in-between, to be created at a fixed point within a single universe due to time travel (picture this as a tree from the trunk up). The universe within universes is similar but in this instance the multiverse could be viewed as bubbles within bubbles rather than crossed or parallel plains of existence. The multiverse offers the opportunity to add the scientific universe to the mythological universe so that gods, monsters, Heaven, Hell, Purgatory can be. Time travel can also be written as skipping across universes while there is also an option of discovering what would have happened if a particular event had occurred (commonly called parallel universes which if stacked closely looks similar to the time travel tree but the differences are to do with possibilities and probabilities rather than time differences). The multiverse offers open ended writing and endless opportunities to explore something different.

The stable observable universe enclosed by the chaotic unobserved universe

This universe structure bears some relation to the flat world in an unobserved universe structure simply because the unobserved is unknown. The differences are that the observed universe usually includes a scientifically curious and technologically advanced civilisation concerned with the big issues while the unobserved holds the unknown. This means the unknown can hold a benevolent or malevolent entity, living or otherwise, that will soon make its presence known. Even if it refuses to be observed the consequences of its actions could be. The unobservable universe encapsulating the observed offers the opportunity to write a claustrophobic atmosphere in a work including an expansive and/or infinite universe. This alone sets the stable observable universe enclosed by the chaotic unobserved universe as rather unique in fiction.

The rewritable universe

Time travel is possible and by travelling through time you can create new time lines and thereby new worlds (as long as you do something specific in your travels). This universe structure offers a lot of play but is usually science based, meaning there is little to no room for active gods and devils. Monsters, however, can easily be translated into aliens while gods and devils can become computers, extremely powerful aliens, black holes, stars or planets (or any combination thereof).

Werewolves and war

The topic of war, real war, usually sends me into a complete twist brought on by rage at humanity’s faults and a lack of someone to punch over the excess death and misery caused by our own actions.

So, to bring something a little different to the day, I thought I'd write about where fiction and reality meet, and not just in your standard war movie or war book. I mean really fantastical fiction meets reality.

What better than werewolves and war? 

Have you ever noticed that werewolves are often connected with war in fiction? Wonder why? At first, if approached from the most recent stories, it seems a little far-fetched. You see and read of werewolves and zombies and Nazis battling away, sometimes a combination of these in one being, or you see and read of Nazi werewolf experiments as another of their scientific trials in bringing about a greater weapon with which to defeat their enemies. The theme has become almost a genre in itself, sustained by its own memes and not particularly connect to history in any way.

A Nazi werewolf zombie

It all gets quite detached from reality except in reference to war, Nazi symbology and Nazi gold and also werewolves. That last bit probably comes as a shock but yes, there was such a thing as the Nazi werewolves, or Werwolf. As you may have guessed, “Werwolf” is German for "werewolf". But how could there possibly be Nazi werewolves? By them not actually being werewolves, of course. They were purely human. Just a crack unit of soldiers formed in 1944 and named Werwolf. The Nazi’s weren’t experimenting to create super human soldiers. They already had the like through use of amphetamines and cocaine.

No, they were named Werwolf to strike fear, reference a purpose and promote the idea that this unit was an incredibly effective fighting force. Propaganda, in other words. It was all propaganda and hype even though there was a unit and they likely did achieve what tasks were given them, to some degree or another. Werwolf was promoted as a commando force that would operate behind enemy lines, dismantling the Allied war machine by guerrilla warfare and sabotage. Not much has been confirmed as having been actually done by these soldiers so it is likely they were more figureheads of terror than active soldiers.

I mentioned that the name Werwolf references a purpose. That purpose comes from a book. “The name was chosen after the title of Hermann Löns' novel, Der Wehrwolf (1910). Set in the Celle region, Lower Saxony, during the Thirty Years' War (1618–48), the novel concerns a peasant, Harm Wulf, who after his family is killed by marauding soldiers, organises his neighbours into a militia who pursue the soldiers mercilessly and execute any they capture, referring to themselves as Wehrwölfe. While not himself a Nazi (he died in 1914) Löns' work was also popular with the German far right, and the Nazis celebrated his work.”  - Monstrous.com. So this unit was designed and promoted to be merciless in their slaughter of the enemy.

Nazi werewolf doll

And that was the real Nazi Werwolfs. The popularity of Nazi werewolves, fictional Nazi werewolves that is, is due to several things that are either related to war and the Nazis or related to the history of werewolves in popular culture. Our love of a Nazi werewolf story though, comes more from out love of seeing monsters defeated after a fair amount of blood has been spilled. It is also one of those rare genres where the monster is two-fold or a hybrid, whichever you’d like to refer it as, and because of that it intrigues us because we can’t tell just what makes this creature more monstrous. Is it the Nazi aspect of the human side or the werewolf’s features and blood lust? 

A Nazi werewolf woman: wild but not so wolfish for obvious reasons.

Aside from the history of the Nazi Werewolf unit I believe there are two other things to influence the Nazi werewolf genre:

• The saying " Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war" that Shakespeare wrote (although the history of the saying goes at least as far back as 1385 with "Item, qe nul soit si hardy de crier havok sur peine davoir la test coupe" from The Black Book of the Admiralty, 1385 is a collection of laws in French and Latin that relate to the organisation of the English Navy). “The military order ‘Havoc!’ was a signal given to the English military forces in the Middle Ages to direct the soldiery (in Shakespeare's parlance 'the dogs of war') to pillage and chaos” - Phrase Finder
• The fear of the well trained and often lethal German shepherd war dog, used by any party who could get their hands on them. The reason why German shepherds still have a stigma of fear about them is because of their exceptional abilities during war. But to me the German shepherd is only fearful for its sometimes inability to distinguish poop from food (yuck!) and its size, given that I’m small enough to be bowled over and then subsequently licked by the dog that can’t always distinguish poop from food (double yuck!). That aside, German shepherds are awesome dogs and with the right love, care and training they are capable of some pretty amazing things, as soldiers, policemen and German shepherd owners alike will attest.

On fantasy: a simple history and defence

I find fantasy to be a genre that requires skill to write, acceptance to read and wit to appreciate. In most cases it is far from simple and demands much of the reader's imagination. But this isn't the case for everyone. In fact, opinion is divided.

The fantasy genre has a very long history and fantasy works were always called fantasy. Many of the types of works that are in essence fantasy, or indelibly entwined with fantasy, are categorised as something else entirely. Here is a very short history of fantasy as a genre.

• Very early ‘science fiction’ – one of the earliest recorded ‘science fiction’ stories was of alien spiders on the moon and was written by an Egyptian, and by that I mean written when the pyramids were in their early years.

• Children’s stories, fables and cautionary tales have had a very long history of being fantasy based, whether in English or any other language. Monsters, witches, giants, cats in boots, cannibals, lost children in fantastic lands etc. are included and more besides. The works of Aesop and the Grimm Brothers will probably be the first to pop into your mind as these were likely read to you when you were young, that’s how classical these works have become.

• Need I say much on classics like The Odyssey, The Iliad and Beowulf? Monsters, early mythology, exploration of strange lands, missions, good and evil. The list goes on. There is not much in these stories that isn’t fantastical in nature.

• Arthurian tales were around as early as the 14^th century, authors unknown, but as you know they have survived through various works and alternate writings to this day and will likely continue for the foreseeable future.

• Shakespeare, Marlowe and their contemporaries dealt with fantasy as often as they did with real human issues. Witches again, fairies, the devil, shipwrecks the subsequent exploration of a new land by the stranded, ghosts, fortune-tellers etc.

• As you can see, horror stories have been deeply entwined with fantasy since the very beginning. Horror comes from the simple idea that the protagonist meets with a grim fate after making a mistake, either intentionally or unintentionally. Many horror stories contain elements of fantasy simply by having the one dealing the protagonist’s fate be supernatural or fantastical in nature.

• Utopian and dystopian, futuristic literature, some early science fiction (the term ‘science fiction’ became useful as a genre indicator around 1935, after some of the most famous science fiction works were written.) Utopian and dystopian literature became very popular during the industrial revolution as these are the perfect genres for exploring “what if?” questions related to social, political and technological changes. By their nature utopian and dystopian stories required an exploration of either an alternate version of our world, a fantastical society suffering from the perceived problem at hand and possibly even another race of beings who’s society is running parallel to ours. Later works of science fiction continued exploring “what if” questions but with more emphasis the opportunities provided by technology (exploring the bottom of the ocean which is related to exploring a fantastical world), the possibilities of alien encounters and other strange occurrences. As you can see, once again fantasy has become entwined with another genre, this time science fiction.

• Classical works such as Alice in Wonderland, Gulliver’s Travels, Lord of the Rings, The Wizard Of Oz, Peter Pan, The Hobbit, took fantasy to a new level of popularity amongst the world’s readership and also set the benchmark for modern fantasy authors. In fact the genre became so popular, Lord of the Rings incredibly so, that hundreds of stories revolving around missions in fantastical lands and struggles between good and evil were written and published. So many that the genre hit its first big descent in popularity.

• The descent of the genre into the mire of good versus evil and the save the world/s tromp through a strange land continued for too long in the publishing world, and still survives to this day. The over-publication of such works, not always written by talented authors, meant that for an entire generation or two most fantasy repeated old ideas over and over. This was and still is boring, to say the least. It is also the reason why fantasy is often seen as of no real consequence, inadvisable if you wish to write on a serious issue, limited and unworthy of further study or reading. Even I, a rabid fantasy fan, have my doubts about the genre when it is limited in definition by these simple premises and plot devices.

• Luckily a new wave of fantasy came along that was divorced somewhat from the mission and good versus evil themes, or rather, put them on the back burner for strange situations, new creatures, mythology, quirky anecdotes and more outlandish “what if” questions than you’d ever thought to ask. All while exploring what it is to be human and departing some wisdom of their own through themes, incidents and witty observations. This new breath of the fantasy genre was encouraged by the likes of Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Robert Rankin, Tom Holt, Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher and many others besides.

• Along with this new breath came another branch of fantasy, written less for readership by all and more by females only. This fantasy is a cross between standard fiction, chic literature and fantasy. The protagonist is more often than not female, set on a mission to save something and does so despite incredible odds. There isn’t much difference to standard fantasy other than when it is combined with romantic chic lit and then I can truly understand why men don’t read them so much. In fact, some of these books labelled as fantasy should really just be romance or erotica because the only fantastical element is that the love interest or protagonist is a vampire, werewolf, dragon, shape-shifter etc. and there in lies the romantic problem that needs to be overcome. They can be enjoyable light reads, full of wit and sarcasm, but they can also be as tiresome as the mission and good versus evil fantasy. Where is the new idea?

• But there is something to say for the new branch of fantasy written for the female readership. Urban fantasy, steam punk and alternate history would not have become quite so popular quite so fast without the contribution of female oriented fantasy on these subjects. You’ve likely heard of many of those who’ve contributed to expanding the reach of fantasy within the female readership. Here are some names: Kelley Armstrong, Charlaine Harris, Patricia Briggs, Kim Harrison, Nora Roberts, Katie MacAlister, Laurell K Hamilton, Anne Rice and others. 

• Fantasy now has sub genres, some of which require definitions. Urban fantasy, alternate history, steam punk, horror, supernatural, comic fantasy, dark fantasy, magic realism, mythic, paranormal fantasy, superhero fantasy, sword and sorcery, epic fantasy / high fantasy, low fantasy, prehistoric fantasy, historical fantasy. These not only indicate the different branches of pure fantasy but also the fantasy that is irrevocably entwined with other genres.

Popular opinion of fantasy is divided because of its sometimes less than glorious past and because fantasy isn’t always recognised as such, having been labelled as horror, science fiction, classical or as a children’s fairy tale. It has often been said to be incomprehensible in its complexity while in the next breath it has passed off as overly simplistic. Both could be said to be true, as with all other genres. It all depends on the story written, the current trend and the skill of the author as well as the acceptance of the reader for the ideas posed.

The section of the world readership following fantasy has grown phenomenally since fantasy was categorised as such and its recognition has seen it become popular in film, television, gaming and even radio formats. It has been used to explore a wide variety of social and political issues, document historical details, impart morals and instructions, witty observations on life, delve into what it is to be human, the conscious and unconscious and more such as the impact of new technologies.

And still the scholarly opinion remains mostly closed to fantasy as being a worthy subject of study. Only those works that could be named classical are studied to any degree for themes, societal and political impacts as well as relations between historical events and the topics of fantasy works. There will be a few studies or theses out there but not nearly as many on any other genre except science fiction and horror. Scholars are more prone to judge fantasy works as of lesser quality or worth even when faced with the works of H G Wells, Jules Verne, Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe and Hans Christian Anderson. Shakespeare, Marlowe, the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Chaucer still hold the majority of attention despite so very many studies having been conducted on their works.

A mark of this division in perception (scholarly versus popular) is that fantasy is usually shelved with science fiction and horror, which I see as rightly so, far enough away from literature or fiction for the genre to still be called cult and not as valuable. What is strange about this is all classical works were in fact popular at some stage, even if they aren’t still. Popular does not always equal lower quality or less worthy of study.


Another mark is that those who see themselves as readers of high literature only almost never delve into the fantasy, science fiction and horror despite reading the classical versions of it and expounding the virtues of such works. Can no one of modern times write well enough? Or is their opinion of fantasy, science fiction and horror too low? Likely the later as there are many great modern writers who can really spin a tale.

I believe these are issues to be addressed. Popular opinion is far in advance of marketing and scholarship in its recognition of great fantasy works as valuable and of substance. And I believe this opinion to be correct. If you believe that I should have at least studied or experienced what I’m speaking about then let me put that argument to rest before it even begins. I did study literature until I achieved Honors (at which point my stint at studying ended as I couldn’t stand the thought of going back to write another 2 theses to get a P.H.D. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll go back, I still haven’t given up on the idea completely.) and my thesis was on futuristic literature, the genre that blends science fiction as we know it and fantasy.

From my experiences I can say this; I shudder to think what the general scholarly opinion of the modern fantasy greats would be. “Study Douglas Adams? Are you serious?“ is the response I’d expect and in fact received when I mentioned the field of study I actually delved into, which was fair closer to studying the cannon. “Science fiction? Are you serious?” was said and a room full of eyes turned to look at me as though I’d just grown a second head. Yes, I was dead serious. And I still see science fiction and fantasy as well and truly worthy of serious study.

The language of execuspeak

Yes, the reason I wanted to talk about execuspeak all stemmed from watching Futurama. I feel absolutely no shame in this. Futurama is brilliant.

This is a bit of a looping point but from the Urban Dictionary we get the below definitions. There is also such a thing as an Execuspeak Dictionary for definitions on execuspeak words and not just one. There is also this print Execuspeak Dictionary by the same author. And if you think it ends there, think again. There are many more.

The Execuspeak Dictionary was created by 

Carol Heiberger 

who has had 35 years of exposure to the language. My first reaction to this is pity and my second is a shocked wonder at just how long this garble has been in use. Because of this horrified shock I decided to start looking into the history of execuspeak.

What? Why? How? When? Where? Who do we blame for execuspeak in all its ignominious hilarity.

What:

I decided to look at the definition for execuspeak in that Urban Dictionary as I don't ever want to buy a book on it. Definitions are always a good starting point as sometimes we misunderstand the meaning of words.

Execuspeak

"The art of speaking like an executive."

On a side note, execuspeak is also known as business jargon, corporatese, business speak, corporate jargon, corporate communication, marketing speak and spin (public relations). Spin is about the most honest name for it.

I also came across this definition in Wikipedia and I included it as it is quite blunt.

"Business speak, also management speak refers to a particular syntax often used in large organisations. The tone is associated with managers of large corporations, business management consultants, and occasionally government. The term is typically derogatory, implying the use of long, complicated, or obscure words, abbreviations, or acronyms. Some of these words may be new inventions, designed purely to fit the specialised meaning of a situation. Frequently management speak is used to "spin" negative situations as positive situations."

Execuspeech

"The art of talking without saying anything."

Execubabble

"Verbal executive communication in broad, vague terms that rise above normal speak. Characterized by an excessive use of executive words such as robust, paradigm, and drill down. Those on the receiving end of execubabble are no better informed after the speech than when it began."

Execuse

"When an executive of a company makes up an excuse for not wanting to talk to a subordinate or take action upon a particular topic."

There are also such things as execuglide, execuhair and execuside as well as many more. But I don't just want to copy that hilarious list of definitions, as fun as they are to read.

Why

To promote the business voice and image so as to gain customers, instill market confidence, whitewash mistakes and represent negative situations, incidents or results as positive. (see what I did there? 'Positive' and 'negative' aren't as powerful as 'bad' or 'good,' 'devastating' or 'reassuring' and that would be a beginners example on how you whitewash. It just reads like statistics, unrelated to potentially tragic events.)

How

Execuspeak, or corporate communication, stems from the field of public relations. For almost the last century the public relations departments of any big corporation has been working on the voice and image of the respective businesses, the competitive nature of such departments and businesses popularising the language, giving rise to what we now call execuspeak.

When

Originated roughly a century ago.

Where

Worldwide big business speaks execuspeak everyday, the first versions of which were established in the 1900's-1930's. The origins lie in those business and corporations with high profit margins roughly 80 -110 years ago, whether American, English, European or otherwise, as long as the original language was English. Execuspeak is a dialect of English but that does not mean that non-English countries don't have their own versions of the dialect execuspeak. 

Big businesses likely to have helped create through use the original execuspeak:

Shell

Mobil

BP

State Grid

Lloyds

Tresco

Barclays

General Electric

General Motors

U.S. Postal Service

Boeing

Johnson & Johnson

Pepsi

Kraft Foods

Sears

Chrysler

Walt Disney

Coca-Cola

DuPont

Delta Air Lines

Warner Brothers

Macy's

Motorola

Emerson Electric

Blame

Executives, CEOs, marketers, management communicators, advertisers, government employees, public relations workers, internal communicators, investors, speech writers and more are all to blame for its proliferation to the point where execuspeak, or corporatese, has been labelled a dialect.

The popular impression why execuspeak is used
Crooked business men and women trying to cover their tracks, impress and sell garbage as gold.

I will leave you with this one hilarious site: Productive.

Writing on human skin part II

For my book I had to look up whether there was a special name for the vellum made of human skin rather than animal. As it is, I haven't yet found that out as I was waylaid by morbid curiosity after running across this information.

A long and sometimes gruesome history lies behind the writing on human skin. My previous post was on the tattooing of quotes, the lighter side of writing on human skin. This is the darker side.

In the history of use of human skin and tissue for writing you will run across the Nazis, Ed Gein, Marquis de Sade and Saddam Hussein (wrote in blood). Anatomy textbooks were often bound in skin as were erotica books. Also, judicial recordings were frequently bound in the skins of the condemned. On the most acceptable side, newly popular or informative texts bound for longevity had human skin covers, complete with inscriptions, that often resulted from a voluntary donor (requested in a Will).

Anthropodermic bibliopegy: the practice of binding books in human skin.

Autoanthropodermic bibliopegy: volumes created as a bequest and bound with the skin of the testator (If you wrote in your Will that you wish to have your skin used for binding books your skin may well have been used for just that).

Notes: 

Only one of the below skins may have been taken from a live human. The rest have been taken after death, two likely with consent.

The practice of using human skin to bind books was not an underground or distasteful practice for much of its history. It just wasn't common practice as a great deal of work is involved and skins needed to be obtained. In recent history there have been horrific cases of skins being obtained unlawfully and sometimes from live humans, leading to the outrage most now feel at seeing such bindings. I will not rule either way but rather show you a few examples. You can make up your mind re moral, ethical and sanitary issues. Above all though, knowledge of this practice should never be forgotten as it is one of the practices that can lead to human atrocities. Anything with such potential should not be forgotten in case we must face and fight it again.

Practicarum Quaestionum Circa Leges Regias Hispaniae

Skin from Jonas Wright, 1632.
Last page inscription: “The bynding of this booke is all that remains of my deare friende Jonas Wright, who was flayed alive by the Wavuma on the Fourth Day of August, 1632. King btesa did give me the book, it being one of poore Jonas chiefe possessions, together with ample of his skin to bynd it. Requiescat in pace.”

A True and Perfect Relation of the Whole Proceedings Against the Late Most Barbarous Traitors, Garnet A Jesuit and His Confederates

Skin from Father Henry Garnet, 1606.

Latin cover inscription translates as: “Severe penitence punished the flesh.”
The book is about the Gunpowder Plot and Father Henry Garnet was a co-conspirator to Guy Fawkes.

People believe they can see is face in the cover...

Red Barn Murder Judicial Proceedings

Skin from William Corder (The murderer. Also, his skeleton became a teaching aid in the West Suffolk Hospital), 1828.

Inscribed “The Binding of this book is the skin of the Murderer William Corder taken from his body and tanned by myself in the year 1828. George Creed Surgeon to the Suffolk Hospital.”

Narrative of the Life of James Allen, alias Jonas Pierce, alias James H. York, alias Burley Grove, the Highwayman, Being His Death-bed Confession to the Warden of the Massachusetts State Prison

Skin from James Allen, 1837.

Cover inscription “Hic Liber Waltonis Cute Compactus Est” translates to “This book by [Allen] bound in his own skin.”

The Poetical Works of John Milton

Skin from George Cudmore (unrelated and unknown to John Milton – this was all the work of a bookbinder/seller who stole the skin of the hanged murderer George Cudmore), 1852.

El Viaje Largo by Tere Medina

Skin from Unknown, 1972.

Inscription: “The cover of this book is made from the leather of the human skin. The Aguadilla tribe of the Mayaguez Plateau region preserves the torso epidermal layer of deceased tribal members. While most of the leather is put to utilitarian use by the Aguadillas, some finds its way to commercial trade markets where there is a small but steady demand. This cover is representative of that demand.”

Other books that were bound in skin:

Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary, 1818:  skin from James Johnson (unrelated).

Virgil’s Georgics:  skin from Jacques Delille (translator of Virgil’s Georgics – skin stolen when he was lying in state).

Leeds, England Ledger, 1700’s:  skin from Unknown (though suspected to be a victim of the French Revolution).

Terres du Ciel, 1882:  skin unnamed French Countess (She died young from tuberculosis but before she did she asked the book binder Flammarion to use her skin to bind a copy of his next book.)
Cover inscription: “Pious fulfillment of an anonymous wish/ Binding in human skin (woman) 1882.”

De Humani Corporis Fabrica libri septem by Vesalius, 1543: skin from Unknown.

Lincoln the Unknown by Dale Carnegie: several copies covered with jackets containing a patch of skin from an unknown male African American. Skin patches were embossed with the title.

Justine et Juliette by Marquis de Sade: tanned skin from Unknown female’s breasts.

Truth and fiction in writing

When you study history you find out that absolute truth does not exist in writing. All texts portray the subjective viewpoint of the author. Truth, as in absolute truth, is rarely written and in fact may not be possible to write except for in grand instances. This is a problem that occurs because people's minds do not recall details perfectly, agendas come into play and bias twists perspective. This is also why the study of history will never stop, not just because history keeps being created.

So when truth is written as truth you need to be aware that it often contains fiction or bald falsehoods, depending on the intent. Writers should try to be objective or at least place a disclaimer of sorts on their non-fiction works so that the reader has at least some confidence in what is written or doesn't place too much. Purposely misleading readers by disseminating misinformation is the same as a politician lying to his constituents. This might sound harsh but writers spreading falsehoods on purpose only do so for a reason, whether that be money, fame, gratitude, empowerment, safety or other rewards. Much as what a politician would. The politician example isn't the only one applicable here. Big businessmen have been known to do so, often destroying the livelihoods of others in the process.

In writing fiction the reverse can be said. No matter the genre; crime, fantasy, science-fiction, romance, historical or literature, there is always truth included within the text. Truth appears in the character's emotions, reactions, desires, fears, faults and flaws. It appears in the base understandings of the world's structure and all within it, because even when a fantasy world is written only a few elements of the real world is distorted to create the fictional one. Utopian and dystopian literature reflect our fears and desires. Futuristic literature often explores problems and issues in our current society projected forward.

Truth and fiction go hand in hand. One never appears in writing without the other. If writing non-fiction, it is the responsibility of the author to make sure what is written is as accurate to the truth as possible. This is not always done so it is also the responsibility of the reader to question everything and not allow other people to pull the wool over their eyes without a fight. If writing fiction, it is the responsibility of the author to reference other people's works, to work in a many that doesn't bring liable and to not use fiction to promote dangerous causes. Affiliating oneself with an ideology or political encampment is fine but inciting others to violence (or any other detrimental action) for a cause, no matter the method, is illegal and aside from that, immoral.

It is a difficult maze to navigate at times but that is what it means to write. Words have immense power and should be handled responsibly, not thrown around as though whatever is written can be fobbed off as meaning nothing. Writing is a heritage of our evolution and has been increasingly important in the survival of humanity for it relays ideals, records developments and mistakes and because of its long history of use what is written is often seen as incredibly reliable. Sometimes despite our better judgement.

So write remembering that what you say and portray is important and can impress your ideas upon another quite strongly (no matter the format you've chosen). Try to build upon the integrity of our written language, not degrade it.