Golden Age

In the Netherlands, the 17th century is considered the Golden Age. This era of success and prosperity is marked by people like Rembrandt and the Dutch East India Company.

If one looks upon the political situation in the Netherlands at the time, calling the 17th century the Golden Age might seem a tad bit strange. The country was at war almost constantly, the French and the Spanish invaded the Netherlands. But cultural and colonial expansion was heavy, marking the Dutch spot on the world map for ever.

Also the Golden Age of Roman literature under Augustus.

During this time, Rome became a mecca for writers and artists from all of Italy. They came to Rome seeking generous patronage, and many acheived extraordinary things. The 'Pax Romana' brought about by Augustus and the prosperity it created brought about a revival of patriotic poetry and literature.

Livy, born in 59BC, created his histories, which were unlike Tacitus' in that Livy was more of an artist. This meant that his histories read like a collection of stories and have been inspirational for years, even though three quarters of his work were lost.

The poet Horace wrote his Odes, which like Virgil's Georgics, were inspired by a simple love of nature. He also expressed the concept of the Roman people and his work being eternal in the quotation: "I will not entirely die, since my poetry will be a monument more lasting than bronze."

The most famous of the Golden Age poets was Virgil, whose Aeneid was based on the two epics of Homer, the Iliad and the Odyssey. It tells the story of a Trojan prince who escapes his homeland and founds the Roman race. Such a sentiment was fondly received by both the Emperor and the public.

Another distinguished Roman Golden Age poet was Ovid, whose Metamorphoses present various tales from ancient mythology in a witty way which still finds favour with readers today. He was, however, involved in some mysterious scandal later in life, and exiled to an outpost in the Black Sea where he was to die.

Campbell insisted that the stories he published be scientifically accurate. His writers blossomed under this restriction. Like haiku, what appear at first to be limits are actually the very things that nurture creativity. Good science fiction was born then, in the 1930's and 1940's.