1. I think a lot of critical confusion over recent Tarantino films comes from mis-genre-ing them. What if Inglourious Basterds and Once Upon A Time in Hollywood aren't historical films. What if they are science fiction?
2. Both films (spoiler alert) take well-known historical events and give them a very different ending than the one that happened. Both are, in effect, set in a parallel reality, like Dick's Man in the High Castle.
3. The point of alternative history, at least when it's done well, is to cast some light on real history, to present a thought experiment that highlights what made the historical event what it was. Similar to how utopias & dystopias both function as social critique.
4. An alt-history precursor to Tarantino is Philip Jose Farmer's "Sail on, Sail on" which is set in an alternative world where medieval science is largely true. Story ends with Columbus sailing off the edge of the the world. That's the cognitive estrangement Tarantino achieves.
5. I pursue the argument about Tarantino working in Alternative History here: thenation.com/article/tarant…
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