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'Gekokujo' and Revolution in Ascendance of a Bookworm




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Kougeru



Joined: 13 May 2008
Posts: 5590
PostPosted: Wed Jun 24, 2020 1:20 pm Reply with quote
what about all the child labor?
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nobahn
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Joined: 14 Dec 2006
Posts: 5150
PostPosted: Wed Jun 24, 2020 3:54 pm Reply with quote
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Common currencies were adopted to promote smoother trading, facilitating transactions even in the absence of immediate buyers for specific goods. As trade transactions became more complex and voluminous, more robust currency regimes like the tri-metal system were developed to keep up with the extra trade.
[...]
Successful merchants needed to record the stock, detail, and value of their wares for later accounting reference. They needed to receive reports of current events from even far flung areas that could affect the supply, quality, and value of their supply of goods.
The below-linked essay is mandatory reading.

How the Inkas Governed, Thrived and Fell Without Alphabetic Writing

Their vast civilization created a unique skew of the fine line between language and community.

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All this suggests that the Sapa Inka (emperor) governed Tahuantinsuyu both efficiently and profitably. What’s more, he did so without alphabetic writing, for the Inkas never invented this. Had they been left to work out their own destiny, this state of affairs might well have continued for decades or even centuries, but their misfortune was to find themselves confronted by both superior weaponry and, crucially, a culture that was imbued with literacy. As a result, not only was their empire destroyed, but their culture and religion were submerged.
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HannoX



Joined: 30 Apr 2012
Posts: 200
PostPosted: Wed Jun 24, 2020 5:16 pm Reply with quote
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All this suggests that the Sapa Inka (emperor) governed Tahuantinsuyu both efficiently and profitably. What’s more, he did so without alphabetic writing, for the Inkas never invented this. Had they been left to work out their own destiny, this state of affairs might well have continued for decades or even centuries, but their misfortune was to find themselves confronted by both superior weaponry and, crucially, a culture that was imbued with literacy. As a result, not only was their empire destroyed, but their culture and religion were submerged.


The Incas were also devastated by smallpox, and a subsequent civil war due to the death of the ruling Inca, just prior to the Conquistadors showing up. The lack of writing was probably no more than a minor factor in their subjugation. However, if the process of conquest had taken a number of years rather than being fairly rapid, literacy would have played a bigger role.
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John Thacker



Joined: 28 Oct 2013
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 24, 2020 6:29 pm Reply with quote
Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court remains one of the primary early examples of exactly this kind of isekai work, with the newcomer bringing advanced technology leading to revolution in the world traveled to.

One nitpick that bothers me in Bookworm is the heights of the buildings. Given the technology, the buildings are a story or two too high without being a severe fire hazard.
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kotomikun



Joined: 06 May 2013
Posts: 1205
PostPosted: Thu Jun 25, 2020 1:52 am Reply with quote
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It's harder to argue that in Bookworm because its nobles are special due to their mana. Commoners rely on the nobility's mana for producing good harvests

Well, until Myne remembers fertilizer, anyway.

Joking aside, my real guess is it actually will play out somewhat like in real life, when it turns out the nobles' magic powers aren't all they're cracked up to be. Myne got her special blue-robes status due to the nobles experiencing a critical mana shortage--something they clearly don't want common people knowing about, which could be undermined by printing presses and mass literacy. Books on magic are top-secret (even the church keeps them locked away somewhere instead of in the library), and even without reading any, the season finale showed that Myne can already magically heal arid land far better than the average knight. "The Devouring" seems far more a blessing than a curse, if you're rich enough to have the necessary accessories.

All this implies that magical abilities may be more common than the nobles want their subjects to think. At the very least, the 99% won't be happy when they find out their rulers let people with great magical potential suffer or die to maintain the status quo.
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