OK…this is one of those “just because” posts. But for some reason, I’m often reminded of Second Life when I see ancient scrolls and manuscripts. I’m not sure why that is, other than maybe there’s a level of craft that’s comparable, or it feels like looking back on an age of discovery, or something to do with emerging metaphors.
Regardless, I’ll give this as an example (after the break), because it’s also pretty amazing on its own.
By way of Bibliodyssey
It’s probably because every dorkwad and his brother has a castle in SL. NO MORE STUPID CASTLES!!??~~~~!!!!
Ok, breathe, breathe… seriously though. Why?
Actually, I think you’ve got it quite right… SL is so totally medieval, with its land/tier and slave-labor-esque ways. And the great uncertainty for when the end of the world (cough) grid might come and all the dragons lurking about…
I remember those days…
say that the origins are even more distant. try to read “The Art of Memory” by Frances A. Yates
If medieval metaphor is what you seek, my favorite Second Life progenitor is The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch. This delightful triptych has all the elements of real and virtual disjuncture that predates SL by several centuries. Perhaps if Bosch had been born into this century, he’d be immersed in the metaverse creating fantastical sims.
Great Alchemy scroll, it is about the path to Quintessence….
I don’t see SL as medieval, I see it as a shared psychological space, a fairy tale space…so the alchemy scroll isn’t wrong. Just different from the way you intended.