In the May issue of the The Atlantic Monthly, Jay Parini writes about the recent popularity of historical fiction in his article, ”Making History: How Historical Fiction Went Highbrow.” In that article he has a wonderful quote about the importance of history and our draw towards it.
He writes, “In our high-velocity, high-volume world, the present can seem just too bright, too close. We need the filter of memory to pull reality into focus.”
That seems to me, to be exactly right. History – corporate memory – brings into focus our chaotic, “high-velocity” reality in which we live.
