How long has the “This is Fine” meme been around?
Would you believe the 14th century?
You all know the Dog-in-the-Burning-Room “This Is Fine” meme, right?
Artist KC Green’s comic “On Fire” which has become the omnipresent “This is Fine” meme.
As reported in the LAist blog, Green drew the iconic image as part of his comic Gunshot back in 2012 when he was fighting depression and feeling overwhelmed. The image has since been used uncounted number of times with a variety of texts by groups as diverse as the Republican National Committee and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show.
While the image of the self-satisfied dog sitting in a burning room with his coffee is undoubtedly original, it interestingly enough echos an illustration from a 14th century illuminated manuscript.
British King Vortigern had a “This is Fine” vibe in an ilustration from a 14th century illuminated manuscript.
As C. Keith Hansley wrote back in 2020 for The Historian’s Hut:
This illustration, from a 14th-century manuscript (labeled BL Royal 20 A II, f. 3 in The British Library) depicts a scene from British legend. Atop the burning castle is Vortigern, a legendary figure from the 5th century who is credited with inviting Saxons into Britain, setting in motion the eventual Anglo-Saxon domination of England that would last for centuries… This scene of Vortigern being besieged and ultimately dying in an inferno set by his enemies is what is depicted in the manuscript illustration featured above.
Thanks to Sarah Cardin on Threads for pointing out the rhyming imagery here. How often do we get to look at an example of Media Secret 4 – Nothing’s new: Everything that happens in the past will happen again with examples from one of our earliest media, hand copied books, rhyming with our most recent social media?