Historical Fantasy?
- Thread starter Nekko
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I think a lot depends on the effect you're going for.
I'm reading Red Grass River. It's set in S Florida c 1910-30, and is a realistic tale of bootleggers and bank robbers. There's also a sub-plot about second sight, and revelations through dreams. So is James Carlos Blake's hard-boiled historical crime saga really a historical fantasy that should be shelved with books about dragons and fairies!?
Not hardly.
I suppose you could. But that would raise more questions about your critical judgement than Blake's.
I didn't read The Princess Bride and get annoyed because Florin & Guilder are coinage rather than Medieval political entities. Goldman is trying to evoke the feel of a fairy-tale, not a historical era. He succeeds, quite well.
Another example, in Walker (Alex Cox's film about William Walker's invasion of Nicaragua in 1856), when Vanderbilt hears Walker has double crossed him, he kicks over the TV. When Walker's mercenaries flee the burning city of Rivas, a helicopter lands and a US Marine with an M-60 asks for their passports. I didn't think, "Geez, Walker should have used the helicopters and machine guns to whomp those bass-ackwards 1850s campesinos." I could see Cox was (in a ham-fisted fashion) using anachronisms to draw attention to the parallels of the 1850s and 1980s.
There are lots and lots of examples of anachronisms in fiction which you could deconstruct & criticize endlessly (it's fun). That'll show you what some other story-teller was doing.
So maybe you should ask yourself, what are you trying to achieve with your time-displaced Merovingians? Are they there because they are cool, or to make a dramatic contrast, or create a certain mood and feel?
I'm reading Red Grass River. It's set in S Florida c 1910-30, and is a realistic tale of bootleggers and bank robbers. There's also a sub-plot about second sight, and revelations through dreams. So is James Carlos Blake's hard-boiled historical crime saga really a historical fantasy that should be shelved with books about dragons and fairies!?
Not hardly.
I suppose you could. But that would raise more questions about your critical judgement than Blake's.
I didn't read The Princess Bride and get annoyed because Florin & Guilder are coinage rather than Medieval political entities. Goldman is trying to evoke the feel of a fairy-tale, not a historical era. He succeeds, quite well.
Another example, in Walker (Alex Cox's film about William Walker's invasion of Nicaragua in 1856), when Vanderbilt hears Walker has double crossed him, he kicks over the TV. When Walker's mercenaries flee the burning city of Rivas, a helicopter lands and a US Marine with an M-60 asks for their passports. I didn't think, "Geez, Walker should have used the helicopters and machine guns to whomp those bass-ackwards 1850s campesinos." I could see Cox was (in a ham-fisted fashion) using anachronisms to draw attention to the parallels of the 1850s and 1980s.
There are lots and lots of examples of anachronisms in fiction which you could deconstruct & criticize endlessly (it's fun). That'll show you what some other story-teller was doing.
So maybe you should ask yourself, what are you trying to achieve with your time-displaced Merovingians? Are they there because they are cool, or to make a dramatic contrast, or create a certain mood and feel?
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What Benbenberi said. Magic = Fantasy. For Randall Garrett, I'd say Alternate Historical Fantasy ;-) as he has both magic and Richard the Lionheart surviving his crossbow injury.
Not sure why the snark? By my own definition that you replied to that would be Alternate History if there are no fantastical elements.
I said
Now, If you have Merovingians ripping off their shirts to reveal the red-and-blue U on their spandex superhero costumes and flying to the rescue of Louis Lane in 12th century France, that would be Fantasy.
But as The Princess Bride incorporates fantastical elements and thus would be Fantasy, I don't know why anyone would expect actual medieval political entities?
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My apologies Ultragotha, it wasn't intended to be snarky. A tad flippant maybe, but not snarky. (and I really did want to know if you'd throw the book across the room.) Mea culpa.
I actually had woven Morovingians into my story and noticed your tag(?). I appreciate your input in this thread.
Oh, and nope, no ripping off of shirts to reveal super-heros in spandex waiting in the shadows to save the day.
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Merovingians in 12th century France? Due to time travel? Or were they discovered on Skull Island by intrepid Crusaders? 
I confess, my interest in the Merovingians is limited to the tiny bit of research I did into their costume history. Whilst doing that I came across the Merovingian (probably via Latin) name ULTRAGOTHA and instantly decided I *must* have that as a user name.
Accompanied by aforementioned spandex costume of course. I covet a Superman-font U to put on my chest.
It must always be UPPERCASE and you have to say it in a deep heroic and high volume voice: ULTRAGOTHA! TaDa!
I confess, my interest in the Merovingians is limited to the tiny bit of research I did into their costume history. Whilst doing that I came across the Merovingian (probably via Latin) name ULTRAGOTHA and instantly decided I *must* have that as a user name.
Accompanied by aforementioned spandex costume of course. I covet a Superman-font U to put on my chest.
It must always be UPPERCASE and you have to say it in a deep heroic and high volume voice: ULTRAGOTHA! TaDa!
And so it shall be, forever more may those in the HF kingdom know you as [/SIZE]ULTRAGOTHA! TaDa!
Tyrannosaurus Rex
Banned
I find historical cultures and settings very inspiring for both storytelling and artwork, but I have ambivalent sentiments about writing strictly historical fiction because I worry that sticking to the facts might reduce my creative wiggle room. On the one hand, I would love to take certain creative liberties with the people and societies I write about, and often real people and events don't conform to our idea of dramatically interesting anyway, but on the other hand I don't have the heart to lie and mislead readers about history.
I think writing something like historical fantasy would liberate me from these problems. I could keep the historical inspiration without worrying too much about strict accuracy.
I think writing something like historical fantasy would liberate me from these problems. I could keep the historical inspiration without worrying too much about strict accuracy.