History’s Bookish Tricksters
While reading an article from JSTOR Daily, I fell down a delightful rabbit hole about the Bibliotheca Fictiva, a massive archive of forged historical documents. Not silly pranks, but full-on fake manuscripts, fake charters, fake letters, and “ancient” texts that fooled scholars for decades.
It tickled my funny bone to discover that fan fiction started making its appearance centuries ago. Medieval scribes were basically the original fandom, forging saints’ lives. Nineteenth-century printers “discovered” ancient works that never existed. Scholars argued passionately about manuscripts someone made up in their kitchen with ink and ambition.
Everyone has heard the saying, “If you’re going to do something, do it right.” I suppose this should apply to doing something “wrong” too. So, respect to the forgers who performed their art so well that historians have argued over it.
Basically, history has imposters. And they are enchanting.
It made me think about how thin the line is between “recorded history” and “creative writing.” Sometimes that line is not a line at all. Sometimes it is a dotted pencil draft that someone confidently inked and tucked into an archive.
Impostors performing so well that they make it into the annals of history. Perhaps the real lesson here is that humans have always loved a good story, either reading OR writing one.
Happy Friday, friends. Go read something real… or not. History seems flexible.