Re: Princess Elizabeth On VE Day

On Sun, 2 Nov 2003 20:51:31 +0000 (UTC), "Ms Brenda M. Cook"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

>Which raises an interesting question - where do you draw the date line with
>Historical Fiction. Speaking personally (and this may give a clue to my
>age!) I cannot perceive any work of fiction set in or after the Second World
>War as "Historical" Fiction. Even more especially I do not consider it
>appropriate to write fiction about someone who is still alive. (Wouldn't it
>in any case be considered libel under British law ???)
>
>Just where would you all "draw the line" for history versus contemporary ?
>

If the author lived through the events or in the time depicted I
consider the book 'contemporary'.  Otherwise it's a historical.  Jane
Austen and Dickens did not write historicals.  (Except perhaps for
Tale of Two Cities - I'd have to check Dicken's dates.)  Walter Scott
wrote both:  Waverly - contemporary; Ivanhoe - historical.

Usually the writer of a historical has different assumptions about
what needs to be explained to readers than writers of contemporary
fiction.  After all, they know what assumptions and knowledge their
immediate audience has.  So there's usually a different flavor to the
writing.   


-- 
Elaine Thompson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>