Noémie Budin

'Un temps pour l'Histoire' (translatable as 'A Time for History') is a book assembled of the various presentations during the conference that was held during the 2020 edition of the re-enactment festival Fest'Ain d'Histoire in France. It brings together seven documents about time and history and how these two concepts are linked in various ways.

In a way, it's the second book in what could be a series, as the first one, Les Clichés dans l'histoire, came out in 2020 and contained the presentations of the 2018 edition of the aforementioned festival.

This second collection, for which the association Didaskalie, like before, set up a crowd-funding campaign via Ulule, is divided into two parts, which are preceded by a preface (by Noémi Budin, who supervised the entire project). Each text begins with introducing its author(s). When needed, footnotes were added to clarify some things or refer to relevant works. Each text also contains a bibliographic list of relevant/consulted works.

The book is thus divided into two parts:
* The imagination of time
* Imaginary time(s): How do/did authors play with time in their stories? How and which role does time play in fiction?

You can obtain your copy here.

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Contents:
Préface - #Fadh 2020 (by Noémi Budin, about the 2020 edition of Fest'Ain d'Histoire and of course the contents of this new document)

L'imaginaire du temps
Le temps des soldats durant la Première Guerre mondiale (by Quentin Censier, known from Sur le champ):
Most of us only know war through the articles and videos in the (mainstream) press. Or from books. This text tries to show how war is perceived and experienced, in the context of time, from various POV's: time to/during an attack, time to/during a defence, civil time vs military time, etc.
A very interesting look into that part of war, as it makes you, as an outsider, realise even more that war is a truly horrible concept.

La reconstitution historique médiévale : le temps du passé ? (by Audrey Tuaillon Demésy, doctor in sociology)
The Middle Ages have interested and attracted people for a very long time. Many also bring that interest to life by reviving the arts and skills of old or even dress up as a soldier, warrior, king, queen, or even a craftsman. They unite in re-enactment groups to perform at particular festivals or events. Some even go into minute detail to make sure their clothing and acting is historically correct (at least, based on the available information). In other cases, historical correctness is of less importance, because it remains a hobby, where pleasure and fun are vital aspects of the re-enactment. However, could this kind of re-enactment also be a means to create a sort of utopia, an escape from the real world?

Entre folklore et histoire vivante (by Laurent Sébastien Fournier and Lia Giancristofaro, both anthropologists, the former in France, the latter in Italy)
Looking at folklore and living history through anthropological glasses. While this theme could and should be explored much further/deeper, there wasn't enough room or time to do so, hence a more basic approach that focused on festivals and re-enactments in Italy that focus on keeping history alive. In addition, there's, as the title indicated, a comparison between both concepts, folklore and living history, here too by looking at some relevant events/festivals. Both authors also conclude that the topic cannot be narrowed down to such happenings or even only the political side of it. Nevertheless, as general or basic as it was, it allowed, like for the other texts, to see such an event from a different POV.

Les boucles temporelles (by Laurent Vercueil, neurologist and author)
Time loops in fiction, a classic approach, also in uchronic stories. As the author puts it: A time loop is defined by the conjunction of two points separated in time in the story, but united in physical time. But what is "time" here? The author looks at how a fictional character experiences time, how the reader experiences it from his own POV, but also in the context of the story, and the effect it has on the brain. Another interesting text around the theme of time and history.

Le(s) temps imaginaire(s)
À la recherche du roi Arthur (by Mélaine Blondin, historian)
King Arthur, a mythical figure who's played a role in many books, films, and more, throughout the ages. He's been portrayed in various ways, claimed by political factions on every side of the spectrum. Who was Arthur exactly? Did he really exist or was he/has he always been a figment of many people's imaginations? What of the rest of the cast: Merlin, the knights, Guinevere, Lancelot, Mordred, etc.? Places like Avalon? Of course, there is a lot of information available on the internet and there has been a lot of speculation, but Mélaine Blondin, historian, tried to take all this information and focus on the time-aspect of it all. For instance, she asked whether of not Arthur is a historical figure? And if we can speak of an Arthurian epoch? Or is "Arthur" simply a state of mind?

Le temps dans 'Le Petit Prince' (by Noémie Budin, doctor in French literature)
A very nice dissection of how time plays a role in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's classic tale. Supposedly a children's tale, but because of its philosophical layers it's better understood when one is an adult. From a personal experience: I didn't like it when I had to (for school) read it when I was little, but I re-read the story six years ago and liked it a lot. Anyway, Noémie Budin's dissection shed a new light on this wonderful story, makes you look at it from another point-of-view.

Quand l'histoire et le récit ne sont pas à la même heure (by Jean-Laurent Del Socorro, author)
As an author who likes to explore historic periods and people to bring them to life in his books, Jean-Laurent Del Socorro has rapidly become (one of?) thé authors in France when it comes to historical fiction (with a small touch of fantasy). Just check out his wonderful series revolving around the Wars of Religion of the 16th century. Do read them in publication order, as I suggest in my review of 'Du roi je serai l'assassin' or even his (to this date) latest offering: 'Noir est le sceau de l'enfer' (2022).
In his contribution here, he starts with a basic definition of a historian and a historical novel, and how these two differ when considering "time" and historical periods/events. Next, there's an overview of the four steps (accompanied by examples of his own or of fellow authors' works he's read) he takes when adapting "historical time" to use it for his stories, followed by a practical outline of how he applied those steps in one of his works ('La Guerre des trois rois'). Sticking to what science says (about history) or how the author imagines it, are two different views, yet they can be compatible, work in a parallel way. Isn't a historian also "telling a story", like the author? As Mr Del Socorro added, it's a subject that asks for a profound discussion and exploration around the table, with authors and historians.

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'Un Temps pour l'histoire' complements the first book, 'Les Clichés dans l'histoire', by offering insight on a different aspect of history: time, and how it's used in fiction, re-enactments, culture, and war. The various contributors kept their approaches accessible and comprehensible for a wide audience to enjoy. Thanks to the bibliographic lists, those who seek more profound explanations know what to do.

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Relevant works: (from my shelves)

* Bernard Cornwell - The Winter King (The Arthur Books, #1) (my review)
* idem - Enemy of God (The Arthur Books, #2) (my review)
* idem - Excalibur (The Arthur Books, #3) (my review)
* Thomas Spok - Uter Pandragon (my review)
* Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - Le Petit Prince (my review)
* Jean-Laurent Del Socorro - Royaume de vent et de colères (my review)
* idem - La Guerre des trois rois (my review)
* idem - Du roi je serai l'assassin (my review)
* idem - Noir est le sceau de l'enfer (my review)
* idem - Boudicca (my review)
* idem - Je suis fille de rage (my review)
* idem - Morgane Pendragon (TBR)
* Jean-Louis Fetjaine - La trilogie des elfes : L'intégrale (La trilogie des elfes, #1-3) (TBR)
* T.H. White - The Once and Future King (TBR)
* Thomas Malory -Le Morte d'Arthur (TBR)
* Anne Besson - Fantasy et Histoire (TBR)
* Anne Besson, Victor Battaggion - Fantasy et Moyen Âge (TBR)
* Karine Gobled, Bertrand Campeis - Le Guide de l'uchronie (TBR)… (mehr)