Golden Age Thinking: Longing for a different era?

midnight-in-paris

Over the weekend I finally watched Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris (2011). After a day of mixed martial arts, cage fighting and some cowboys vs. aliens thrown in for good measure, a quirky, romantic and Parisian Woody Allen movie was the perfect final addition to a very eclectic film marathon.

The beautiful romantic comedy follows Gil (Owen Wilson) on his quest to find inspiration for his new novel around the streets of Paris. Now I promise this isn’t a big spoiler, but one of the main things discussed throughout the film is what Michael Sheen’s character, Paul, describes as “Golden Age Thinking”, a dreamy, nostalgic longing to be part of an era that existed long, long ago.

Paul’s pedantic yet hilarious character suggests this manner of Golden Age Thinking is a response to the terrifying and harsh reality of modern times, but is it instead just a natural, romantic longing that people have felt throughout every decade?

Whether it’s a certain style of clothing, type of architecture from a bygone age or just the carefree attitude we often associate with a particular decade, I think it’s an important part of who we are to look at the past with that hazy longing and nostalgic mindset that things were much more interesting “back in those days”, so that we can learn from them.

In many ways I don’t doubt that this fascination may stem from a desire to escape from the things we dislike about the modern day. However, as  long as you don’t become too obsessed with the fact you should have been a playwright in the 1920s or a member of Elizabeth I’s court, it’s probably extremely beneficial to have an intense appreciation for the past so you draw from a wide range of influences in the present.

Whether we look back in history for creative inspiration to learn from, different ways of thinking to adopt, interesting figures to act as muses or style choices to work into our daily attire, as long as we all accept the fact we’re well and truly rooted in 2011 there surely can’t be anything wrong with visiting the past from time to time.

So is Golden Age Thinking natural or just a dreamy denial of the present?