| Both sides previous revisionPrevious revisionNext revision | Previous revisionNext revisionBoth sides next revision |
| alternate_history:butterfly_effect [2018/07/13 11:30] – [The Three Approaches] max_sinister | alternate_history:butterfly_effect [2018/07/13 11:32] – [See Also] max_sinister |
|---|
| ==== Reasons for employing a particular approach ==== | ==== Reasons for employing a particular approach ==== |
| |
| Reasons for such a liberal, or at least a moderate approach can be found in literature and writing stories: Henry VIII on an airship is more exciting than English King You've Never Heard Of on an airship. Alternate History //in stories// works much better if the reader can spot familar themes - people, nations or events. That is also why the liberal approach is so well liked in popular literature. And of course it is easier to write a timeline if you do not have to worry how history goes in those parts you do not focus on, as you can simply assumes it goes as per OTL. On the other hand, as the namesgiving example of chaos theory tells, changes anywhere on the world can have effects anywhere else, so the fundamentalist approach, or at least a strict moderate approach can be seen as more realistic, hence timelines aiming for that usually employ such an approach. Also, it allows to shift focus to different regions of the world, so timelines with the aim of completist coverage of the world also tend towards that. | Reasons for such a liberal, or at least a moderate approach can be found in literature and writing stories: Henry VIII on an [[airships|airship]] is more exciting than English King You've Never Heard Of on an airship. Alternate History //in stories// works much better if the reader can spot familiar themes - people, nations or events. That is also why the liberal approach is so well liked in popular literature. And of course it is easier to write a timeline if you do not have to worry how history goes in those parts you do not focus on, as you can simply assumes it goes as per OTL. On the other hand, as the namesgiving example of chaos theory tells, changes anywhere on the world can have effects anywhere else, so the fundamentalist approach, or at least a strict moderate approach can be seen as more realistic, hence timelines aiming for that usually employ such an approach. Also, it allows to shift focus to different regions of the world, so timelines with the aim of completist coverage of the world also tend towards that. |
| |
| ---- | ---- |
| **[[https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/general-theory-of-alternate-history.419419/|General Theory of Alternate History]]** - A discussion by various AH.commers further ruminating on the topic. | **[[https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/general-theory-of-alternate-history.419419/|General Theory of Alternate History]]** - A discussion by various AH.commers further ruminating on the topic. |
| |
| **[[https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/what-to-do-about-butterflies.422967/|What to do about butterflies ?]]** - Discussion on handling the butterfly effect narrativelly (via butterfly nets or similar solutions), in order to avoid things becoming too complex or too ambitious to cover by one author in a reasonable amount of time. | **[[https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/what-to-do-about-butterflies.422967/|What to do about butterflies ?]]** - Discussion on handling the butterfly effect narratively (via butterfly nets or similar solutions), in order to avoid things becoming too complex or too ambitious to cover by one author in a reasonable amount of time. |
| |
| ---- | ---- |
