I’ve got a lot of exposure to “golden age” science fiction and fantasy, so going back a few decades isn’t hard for me.
Which time period do you mean by this? “Golden age of science fiction” typically refers to the 1940′s and 1950′s, “golden age of fantasy” to the late 1970′s and early 1980′s. If you mean the latter time period, read stuff from the former as a start. Also try going back at least a century to the foundational fantasy authors, e.g., Edgar Rice Burroughs, William Morris’s The Well at the World’s End. Go even further back to things like Treasure Island, or The Three Musketeers. Or even further back to the days when people believed the stuff in their “fantasy” could actually happen. Read Dante’s Divine Comedy, Thomas Moore’s Utopia, an actual chivalric romance (I haven’t read any so I can’t give recommendations).
A good rule of thumb is that you should experience values dissonance while reading them. A culture whose values don’t make you feel uncomfortable isn’t truly alien. Also for this reason, avoid modern adaptations as these tend to do their best clean up the politically incorrect parts and otherwise modernize the worldview.
Which time period do you mean by this? “Golden age of science fiction” typically refers to the 1940′s and 1950′s, “golden age of fantasy” to the late 1970′s and early 1980′s. If you mean the latter time period, read stuff from the former as a start. Also try going back at least a century to the foundational fantasy authors, e.g., Edgar Rice Burroughs, William Morris’s The Well at the World’s End. Go even further back to things like Treasure Island, or The Three Musketeers. Or even further back to the days when people believed the stuff in their “fantasy” could actually happen. Read Dante’s Divine Comedy, Thomas Moore’s Utopia, an actual chivalric romance (I haven’t read any so I can’t give recommendations).
A good rule of thumb is that you should experience values dissonance while reading them. A culture whose values don’t make you feel uncomfortable isn’t truly alien. Also for this reason, avoid modern adaptations as these tend to do their best clean up the politically incorrect parts and otherwise modernize the worldview.