Thanks for another great newsletter! Have you read Chronin? It’s a two-part graphic novel set in 1864 Japan with a time traveling protagonist, so it can also take an “outsider’s view” of history. I really enjoyed it!
When it comes to the way characters speak in a historical fiction piece can definitely add to or take away from the experience, but personally I also make exceptions. Like for the movie The VVITCH, the speech in that setting is great and makes you feel your in that time period, if they had used modern talk, I think it wouldn't have been as good. But for speech in manga, I think because to me manga is a medium that bends and mixes genre, setting, cultures etc, that I give it leeway when it comes to how they speak, whether in a modern setting or historical, it's a medium that mixes both and that makes it acceptable to me.
Absolutely, it's case-by-case with the way characters speech. I agree re: The VVITCH, without that dialect, it doesn't work as well. You're spot on, it really puts you in the place. I think that works better for more serious or scary historical bits. For comedy though, I love seeing what The Great did, because it does such a fantastic job bouncing you in and out of the setting. But I love serious historical pieces that draw you in with authentic speech too.
Love this newsletter! History and humour go so well together! When you gave the example of The Great (which I haven't seen) I immediately thought 'oh, another good example like this is The Favourite' and then you went there too! Have you seen Blackadder? That really makes the most of how absurd history can be.
I've never tried writing a story in a historical era; I've always stuck to future settings or fantasy ones, I think partly because I didn't want to get bogged down in focusing on historical accuracy (not that there's anything wrong with that... I've picked up most of my historical knowledge through reading, studying and teaching literature), and I quite like making up my own worlds with their own bizarre rules, but now I'm thinking that it would be fun to set a story in a specific time period and add some new take or twist to it.
Thanks so much! You absolutely must see The Great. It kinda shot itself in the foot in the latest season, but up until then, it's brilliant historical comedy. I have indeed seen Blackadder. Not all of it, but some of it, and yeah, I love it. Another favorite, even though it's not strictly comedy, is RDJ's Sherlock Holmes. I know they get a mixed reputation, but they're definitely favorites for how well they engage with history.
There's definitely a sort of "barrier" to enter a historical period when you think about the things that have to happen in any given era, but to reference The Great again, I feel like all they did was get a general timeline of Catherine the Great's rise to power, and fill in the space with ridiculousness, occasionally dropping in a random historic moment or two.
You should try writing into history! You may hate it, who knows, but you may really enjoy it. It also gives you a lot of pieces to mold and fit to your story that you don't have to create from scratch. Which, if nothing else, is a good exercise to try out.
I'll definitely check out The Great. I really enjoy the RDJ Sherlock Holmes films--they're a lot of fun! I might give writing into history a go, it's definitely something I feel open to now with the right inspiration. I think there's a danger sometimes, as a writer, of getting dragged into this weird writing culture that takes itself and writing a bit too seriously. There's nothing wrong with having a bit of fun and pushing the boundaries and expectations of a genre. I rediscovered that fact a few years ago, when I was in a bitnof a slump, and I read Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast novels... they're kind of insane and I love them because Peake is clearly having so much fun with his writing. It was a real inspiration. And that's what I like about manga/anime--it generally knows how to balance humour and serious themes often in the same scene, and how to have fun with genre and reader expectations, and doesn't take itself too seriously.
Thanks for another great newsletter! Have you read Chronin? It’s a two-part graphic novel set in 1864 Japan with a time traveling protagonist, so it can also take an “outsider’s view” of history. I really enjoyed it!
Thank you for reading! I have not read Chronin, but I just looked it up and it looks incredible. Definitely adding it to the read list!
When it comes to the way characters speak in a historical fiction piece can definitely add to or take away from the experience, but personally I also make exceptions. Like for the movie The VVITCH, the speech in that setting is great and makes you feel your in that time period, if they had used modern talk, I think it wouldn't have been as good. But for speech in manga, I think because to me manga is a medium that bends and mixes genre, setting, cultures etc, that I give it leeway when it comes to how they speak, whether in a modern setting or historical, it's a medium that mixes both and that makes it acceptable to me.
Absolutely, it's case-by-case with the way characters speech. I agree re: The VVITCH, without that dialect, it doesn't work as well. You're spot on, it really puts you in the place. I think that works better for more serious or scary historical bits. For comedy though, I love seeing what The Great did, because it does such a fantastic job bouncing you in and out of the setting. But I love serious historical pieces that draw you in with authentic speech too.
Love this newsletter! History and humour go so well together! When you gave the example of The Great (which I haven't seen) I immediately thought 'oh, another good example like this is The Favourite' and then you went there too! Have you seen Blackadder? That really makes the most of how absurd history can be.
I've never tried writing a story in a historical era; I've always stuck to future settings or fantasy ones, I think partly because I didn't want to get bogged down in focusing on historical accuracy (not that there's anything wrong with that... I've picked up most of my historical knowledge through reading, studying and teaching literature), and I quite like making up my own worlds with their own bizarre rules, but now I'm thinking that it would be fun to set a story in a specific time period and add some new take or twist to it.
Thanks so much! You absolutely must see The Great. It kinda shot itself in the foot in the latest season, but up until then, it's brilliant historical comedy. I have indeed seen Blackadder. Not all of it, but some of it, and yeah, I love it. Another favorite, even though it's not strictly comedy, is RDJ's Sherlock Holmes. I know they get a mixed reputation, but they're definitely favorites for how well they engage with history.
There's definitely a sort of "barrier" to enter a historical period when you think about the things that have to happen in any given era, but to reference The Great again, I feel like all they did was get a general timeline of Catherine the Great's rise to power, and fill in the space with ridiculousness, occasionally dropping in a random historic moment or two.
You should try writing into history! You may hate it, who knows, but you may really enjoy it. It also gives you a lot of pieces to mold and fit to your story that you don't have to create from scratch. Which, if nothing else, is a good exercise to try out.
I'll definitely check out The Great. I really enjoy the RDJ Sherlock Holmes films--they're a lot of fun! I might give writing into history a go, it's definitely something I feel open to now with the right inspiration. I think there's a danger sometimes, as a writer, of getting dragged into this weird writing culture that takes itself and writing a bit too seriously. There's nothing wrong with having a bit of fun and pushing the boundaries and expectations of a genre. I rediscovered that fact a few years ago, when I was in a bitnof a slump, and I read Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast novels... they're kind of insane and I love them because Peake is clearly having so much fun with his writing. It was a real inspiration. And that's what I like about manga/anime--it generally knows how to balance humour and serious themes often in the same scene, and how to have fun with genre and reader expectations, and doesn't take itself too seriously.