All,
I was planning to do a TV Tropes entry for a Sliding Scale of Alternate History Plausibility in the manner of other Sliding Scales on the site.
Please give your thoughts to the following initial draft:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Sliding Scale of Alternate History Plausibility
Like other forms of Speculative Fiction, Alternate History varies in its inherent "hardness" with AH Fandom generally grading it by how "plausible" the AH is based on historical realism and verisimilitude. At the "hard" end of plausibility are well-researched pieces that take into account historical sources and trends, logical changes due to the Butterfly Effect, and try to produce allohistorical events that flow logically from the Point of Departure (POD). At the "soft" end are works of pure Fantasy and Rule of Cool, generally a result of Alien Space Bats.
While the line between "plausible" and not is subjective {{Your Mileage May Vary}}, the following four levels tend to encompass the general consensus in the online AH Fandom:
* Type I: Historical Counterfactuals: these are often works by actual professional historians that seek to answer a historical "what if", typically as an intellectual exercise to better understand the actual history involved. At their best they set aside the personal "wants" and "if only's" of the author and try to accurately determine the most likely result of a POD. They are typically "unsteered", meaning that they have no predetermined outcome and simply follow the logical changes ("what if Lee won at Gettysburg?").
* Type II: Hard Alternate History: these are works of fiction that use AH as a tool for constructing a fictional setting, yet try to employ historical methodology and account for Butterflies {{For Want of a Nail}}. They can be as deeply researched as a counterfactual, but often leave room for adventurous outcomes or Rule of Drama/Cool/Comedy. They are often "steered" to a predetermined outcome and may select the POD only after the desired outcome is chosen ("I need a setting where an independent Confederate States faces off against the Union in a Great War analog, what POD can I choose to get there realistically?").
* Type III: Soft Alternate History: These are works of fiction where the plausibility of the setting's alt-history is less important than setting up a world that fits the creator's artistic objectives. Research is typically minimal to moderate and used simply to give some verisimilitude to the setting. Butterflies may be utterly ignored {{In Spite of a Nail}} and plausibility will take a back seat to Rule of Drama/Cool/Comedy. Almost always "steered" ("okay, so I need a Confederate George Patton running a Blitzkrieg through Stalinist China...")
* Type IV: Alien Space Bats and Fantastical AH: These works are designed as pure fantasy, typically following the Rule of Cool. Some sort of Applied Phlebonium or Sufficiently Advanced Aliens or blatant magic {{A Wizard Did It}} causes a POD that completely changes everything. What if Aliens invade Earth during World War 2? What if time traveling modern Cherokee give assault rifles to their distant ancestors in 1820? What if the modern island of Manhattan was time-ported to the Mediterranean in Roman times? A sub-type of this rewrites actual history in fantastic terms: what if George Washington's army used nature magic to fight Necromantic redcoats? Ironically, many ASB works can become very "hard" following an initial fantastical POD, diligently using historical research and Butterflies to see what would logically happen if Cherokees really did have Kalashnikovs in 1820. Can be "steered" or "unsteered".
Needless to say, the line between the different Types is highly subjective {{YMMV}}, often depending on an individual's personal interpretations or what historical theory he/she believes. Where history is vague (such as Prehistory) pure creative writing or blatant Ass Pulls might be used. The perception of Type II vs. Type III in particular can be very much in the eye of the beholder. Furthermore, perceived extreme cases of implausibility in a Type II can lead to cries of ASB ("and what magical fairy gave the Japanese the cargo ships they would have needed to invade Hawaii?")
Also, technology can a source of debate: is Steam Punk a Type III or IV? How realistic are Zeppelins from Another World in the year 2001 anyway? Politics enters in as well, with steered AH used to create a Utopia based on the creator's personal political/economic views or a Dystopia {{Strawman Nation}} based on opposing views.
Examples:
Type I:
* The What If? series of books where professional historians analyze some counterfactual scenarios (though there are some fans who question their conclusions).
Type II:
* For Want of a Nail: a very detailed and carefully researched novel that explores the "history" of a world where the Continental Army lost at Saratoga. Practically a Type I in fictional format!
* How Few Remain: the first in Harry Turtledove's "TL-191" series explores a vividly realistic 19th century following a southern victory in the American Civil War. Arguably the following Great War trilogy applies as well, though some classify them as moving into Type III.
Type III:
* The latter books of Harry Turtledove's "TL-191" where In Spite of a Nail really sets in and the historical parallelism strains some reader's suspension of disbelief.
* S.M. Sterling's Draka series where a Social Darwinist South African superpower emerges and eventually [[spoiler:conquers the earth]]. Many in the AH community find the history a little implausible {{Understatement}}, though it remains one of the modern classics of AH.
* Leviathan, a young adult alt-WW1 tale where Steam-Punk Central Powers "Clankers" battle Bio-Punk {{Lego Genetics}} Entente "Darwinists". Total Rule of Cool and arguably Type IV due to the Plebonium nature of the technologies.
* The film Confederate States of America where the South not only wins but takes over the whole of the Union! Few take the history seriously, including the creator himself since it was designed as a satire of race relations in the US rather than an accurate counterfactual representation of a southern victory world.
Type IV:
* Another obligatory Harry Turtledove example: the Worldwar series. Lizards from Outer Space invade during World War 2 and the Axis and Allies must set aside their differences to save Earth from alien conquest! Interestingly quite "hard" AH after that, at least in the first books.
* S.M. Sterling's Island in a Sea of Time wherein the contemporary island of Nantucket is time-ported back to the Bronze Age. Somewhat "soft" after the PoD as like most of Sterling's work it follows Rule of Cool.
* Eric Flint's 1632 series where a West Virginia coal town is time-and-space-ported to Germany in the middle of the 30 Years War. Interestingly very "hard" after the PoD.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thoughts?
I'm considering a fifth "Type" between the current II and III that encompasses works with "elements of both hard and soft", though I fear this just complicates things even more.
Unless someone can think of a good metric for evaluating plausibility (at least for the sake of the entry) I fear I have to rely on YMMV qualifiers.
I was planning to do a TV Tropes entry for a Sliding Scale of Alternate History Plausibility in the manner of other Sliding Scales on the site.
Please give your thoughts to the following initial draft:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Sliding Scale of Alternate History Plausibility
Like other forms of Speculative Fiction, Alternate History varies in its inherent "hardness" with AH Fandom generally grading it by how "plausible" the AH is based on historical realism and verisimilitude. At the "hard" end of plausibility are well-researched pieces that take into account historical sources and trends, logical changes due to the Butterfly Effect, and try to produce allohistorical events that flow logically from the Point of Departure (POD). At the "soft" end are works of pure Fantasy and Rule of Cool, generally a result of Alien Space Bats.
While the line between "plausible" and not is subjective {{Your Mileage May Vary}}, the following four levels tend to encompass the general consensus in the online AH Fandom:
* Type I: Historical Counterfactuals: these are often works by actual professional historians that seek to answer a historical "what if", typically as an intellectual exercise to better understand the actual history involved. At their best they set aside the personal "wants" and "if only's" of the author and try to accurately determine the most likely result of a POD. They are typically "unsteered", meaning that they have no predetermined outcome and simply follow the logical changes ("what if Lee won at Gettysburg?").
* Type II: Hard Alternate History: these are works of fiction that use AH as a tool for constructing a fictional setting, yet try to employ historical methodology and account for Butterflies {{For Want of a Nail}}. They can be as deeply researched as a counterfactual, but often leave room for adventurous outcomes or Rule of Drama/Cool/Comedy. They are often "steered" to a predetermined outcome and may select the POD only after the desired outcome is chosen ("I need a setting where an independent Confederate States faces off against the Union in a Great War analog, what POD can I choose to get there realistically?").
* Type III: Soft Alternate History: These are works of fiction where the plausibility of the setting's alt-history is less important than setting up a world that fits the creator's artistic objectives. Research is typically minimal to moderate and used simply to give some verisimilitude to the setting. Butterflies may be utterly ignored {{In Spite of a Nail}} and plausibility will take a back seat to Rule of Drama/Cool/Comedy. Almost always "steered" ("okay, so I need a Confederate George Patton running a Blitzkrieg through Stalinist China...")
* Type IV: Alien Space Bats and Fantastical AH: These works are designed as pure fantasy, typically following the Rule of Cool. Some sort of Applied Phlebonium or Sufficiently Advanced Aliens or blatant magic {{A Wizard Did It}} causes a POD that completely changes everything. What if Aliens invade Earth during World War 2? What if time traveling modern Cherokee give assault rifles to their distant ancestors in 1820? What if the modern island of Manhattan was time-ported to the Mediterranean in Roman times? A sub-type of this rewrites actual history in fantastic terms: what if George Washington's army used nature magic to fight Necromantic redcoats? Ironically, many ASB works can become very "hard" following an initial fantastical POD, diligently using historical research and Butterflies to see what would logically happen if Cherokees really did have Kalashnikovs in 1820. Can be "steered" or "unsteered".
Needless to say, the line between the different Types is highly subjective {{YMMV}}, often depending on an individual's personal interpretations or what historical theory he/she believes. Where history is vague (such as Prehistory) pure creative writing or blatant Ass Pulls might be used. The perception of Type II vs. Type III in particular can be very much in the eye of the beholder. Furthermore, perceived extreme cases of implausibility in a Type II can lead to cries of ASB ("and what magical fairy gave the Japanese the cargo ships they would have needed to invade Hawaii?")
Also, technology can a source of debate: is Steam Punk a Type III or IV? How realistic are Zeppelins from Another World in the year 2001 anyway? Politics enters in as well, with steered AH used to create a Utopia based on the creator's personal political/economic views or a Dystopia {{Strawman Nation}} based on opposing views.
Examples:
Type I:
* The What If? series of books where professional historians analyze some counterfactual scenarios (though there are some fans who question their conclusions).
Type II:
* For Want of a Nail: a very detailed and carefully researched novel that explores the "history" of a world where the Continental Army lost at Saratoga. Practically a Type I in fictional format!
* How Few Remain: the first in Harry Turtledove's "TL-191" series explores a vividly realistic 19th century following a southern victory in the American Civil War. Arguably the following Great War trilogy applies as well, though some classify them as moving into Type III.
Type III:
* The latter books of Harry Turtledove's "TL-191" where In Spite of a Nail really sets in and the historical parallelism strains some reader's suspension of disbelief.
* S.M. Sterling's Draka series where a Social Darwinist South African superpower emerges and eventually [[spoiler:conquers the earth]]. Many in the AH community find the history a little implausible {{Understatement}}, though it remains one of the modern classics of AH.
* Leviathan, a young adult alt-WW1 tale where Steam-Punk Central Powers "Clankers" battle Bio-Punk {{Lego Genetics}} Entente "Darwinists". Total Rule of Cool and arguably Type IV due to the Plebonium nature of the technologies.
* The film Confederate States of America where the South not only wins but takes over the whole of the Union! Few take the history seriously, including the creator himself since it was designed as a satire of race relations in the US rather than an accurate counterfactual representation of a southern victory world.
Type IV:
* Another obligatory Harry Turtledove example: the Worldwar series. Lizards from Outer Space invade during World War 2 and the Axis and Allies must set aside their differences to save Earth from alien conquest! Interestingly quite "hard" AH after that, at least in the first books.
* S.M. Sterling's Island in a Sea of Time wherein the contemporary island of Nantucket is time-ported back to the Bronze Age. Somewhat "soft" after the PoD as like most of Sterling's work it follows Rule of Cool.
* Eric Flint's 1632 series where a West Virginia coal town is time-and-space-ported to Germany in the middle of the 30 Years War. Interestingly very "hard" after the PoD.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thoughts?
I'm considering a fifth "Type" between the current II and III that encompasses works with "elements of both hard and soft", though I fear this just complicates things even more.
Unless someone can think of a good metric for evaluating plausibility (at least for the sake of the entry) I fear I have to rely on YMMV qualifiers.
