Today's guest on The Burgeoning Bookshelf is author Pamela Taylor.
Pamela will be speaking on; The trap of linguistic anachronism – getting the language and word usage right for historical narratives.
Watch
Your Language!
For
a writer, it’s so delightful to be really in the groove. Your
story’s unfolding. The dialogue is flowing. You’ve already
churned out five or six pages today and the words just keep coming.
But if you’re writing historical fiction, sometimes you have to
pause and ask yourself, “Is that really the word or phrase this
character would use?”
It’s
not always as straightforward as remembering not to have a soldier in
the American Revolution call his comrades-in-arms “dudes.”
Sometimes, a word or phrase we think of as having been part of the
language “forever” is anything but.
In Volume 2 of the Second Son Chronicles, I needed a phrase to talk
about someone who just couldn’t let go of something – and my
natural inclination was to have my character say, “Well, let’s
just hope he takes care of whatever bee is in his bonnet and gets
himself back here safely.” It turns out the expression “bee in
one’s bonnet” didn’t actually come into use until the middle of
the nineteenth century, so that’s not what people would have said
in the early Renaissance. The phrase “bees in one’s head” was
in use from the early 1500s. That’s still a bit late for the era of
the Chronicles, but sometimes authors have to make a judgment call.
In those days, words and phrases typically appeared in the spoken
vernacular long before the first recorded written usage. Unable to
find a suitable expression of earlier origin, I gave my character
permission to say “bees in his head.”
Occasionally,
the writer’s choice is influenced by the reader’s best interests.
Take the case of a conveyance used to haul hay or trade goods or
supplies for an army – what we would call a wagon. It was called a
wain at the time of the Chronicles – wagon came into the language
about a hundred years later. So I had a choice: send readers
scurrying for a dictionary to find out what the heck a wain might be
or write sufficient descriptive passages to provide the explanation,
either of which would have been disruptive to the flow of the
narrative. In this case, I decided convenience for the reader
outweighed historical accuracy so I took option three and used
wagon.
Sometimes,
though, one has little choice but to throw in the towel. I faced that
with diplomat, diplomatic, and diplomacy – nineteenth century for
the first two, slightly earlier for the third. Readers needed to
understand everything those terms convey today, and I couldn’t find
good, period-appropriate synonyms. So I reluctantly chose the needs
of the story over the historical accuracy of the language.
For
me, the goal is not to be pedantic about linguistic accuracy but to
be mindful of it – to strive for authenticity and avoid glaring
breaches, but ultimately, to make choices that enhance a reader’s
experience. I hope I’ve succeeded and that you enjoy reading the
Chronicles as much as I’m enjoying bring the stories to life.
Thank you Pamela for taking the time to write this informative post.
Pestilence (Second Son Chronicles #3) was published on 11th June 2020.At the dawn of the
Renaissance, Alfred - the eponymous second son - must discover the
special destiny foreseen for him by his grandfather. Now, the
unthinkable has happened: Alfred’s brother is king. And it isn’t long
before everyone’s worst fears are realized. Traditional allegiances are
shattered under a style of rule unknown since the grand bargain that
formed the kingdom was struck over two hundred years ago. These will be
the most dangerous years of Alfred’s life, forcing him to re-examine his
duty to personal honor and to the kingdom, while the threats posed by
his brother constantly remind him of his father’s final words of advice.
What choices will he have to make to try to protect the things he holds
most dear?
About
the Author:
Pamela Taylor brings her love of history to the art of
storytelling in the Second Son Chronicles. An avid reader of historical fact
and fiction, she finds the past offers rich sources for character, ambiance,
and plot that allow readers to escape into a world totally unlike their daily
lives. She shares her home with two Corgis who frequently reminder her that a
dog walk is the best way to find inspiration for that next chapter.
#WOW #Pestilence #BlogTour
