Skip to main content

The Fiction of Accuracy

I've been thinking about the power of the word "accuracy" when applied to fiction. The word is most often applied to historical fiction, which is important in many respects, but does that mean we should not question aspects of these stories that are deemed "accurate"?

I am talking about a very specific scenario here, being Regency and Victorian romance novels. Let me explain...

Regency and Victorian England are two popular time periods that many contemporary historical romance novels are set in, no doubt because of the continued love for Jane Austen over the centuries. From the Bridgerton craze, to stories of capturing dukes and seducing lords, these stories often romanticize the period by reproducing beloved romance tropes - not that I am complaining. These stories can often be imaginative and empowering for many characters that would not have had a voice in reality, and I cannot deny that they are entertaining. 

And yet, under the guise of "accuracy," many of these stories contain stereotypical depictions of characters of lower classes, people of colour, and reproduce harmful language. Such depictions could be used by an author to get the moral of a story across to the reader (when carefully used), and can contribute to character development in many cases. But when the use of stereotypes and harmful language does not serve the moral of the story, who then does it serve? While these aspects may be "accurate," the question we as readers should be asking is, who does this accuracy benefit?

Regardless of whether or not a contemporary publication is depicted in Regency or Victorian England, it is still a product of the twenty-first century, and is therefore a product of contemporary beliefs being reflected onto the nineteenth century. When men on the page use harmful language towards or about women characters for so-called "accuracy," how does this help the reader develop an idea of the Regency or Victorian eras? If the point is to show that some men in that time did not respect women, well...yeah, we know that...but show me how this contributes to the story. Are you as the author trying to show a generational gap, where a father looks down on a woman of a different class, while his son does not hold the same beliefs? If so, is this relevant to the story or is this trope present just because it is "accurate"?

OR, it is possible that I am completely off the mark here, it wouldn't be the first time. I get why authors continue to write about Regency and Victorian England - Let's face it, it's fun to romanticize that time period and breathe new ideas into it. But as a reader who loves this genre, I need to know why harmful language and stereotypes are being introduced. If it is present simply for "accuracy" rather than to develop the story and characters, then I don't think it is necessary. 

I would love to hear some more thoughts on the question of accuracy! Please comment below or follow me on Instagram (@theopinionatedbookworm1) for more fun thoughts such as this. 

Image from: https://images.app.goo.gl/guF5cp7W7MMhG5U18 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kamila Knows Best

One of the biggest regrets I had during 2021 was that I let my blog slip through the cracks...which is a pity, because I like to blog. Therefore, I have decided to write once more (hopefully more than once), because I want to talk about Kamila Knows Best  by Farah Heron. You may recognize Heron's name from her previous works: The Chai Factor  and Accidentally Engaged. Both of these novels were well written, humorous, and heartwarming, but I loved them all the more because they are set in Canada and written by a Canadian.  Kamila Knows Best  stays true to all of these points. Set in Toronto, this adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma was faithful to the original while adding twists and turns that are accurate for a modern retelling. Kamila is an accountant who loves her father, friends, dog and career deeply, but all of these things means she is too busy for a serious relationship -- or so she claims. Kamila also fancies herself a matchmaker, and takes pride in the fact th...
Post a Comment
Read more

The End of the Reading Rut

This reading rut I was in was a painful experience that unexpectedly came to an end when I picked up Seven Days in June  by Tia Williams. I was taken on an unexpected journey, torn open while reading about the love story of Eva and Shane. Now that the story is over, I wish it had never ended. 7 days to fall in love, 15 to forget Fifteen years after Eva and Shane first fell in love, they meet again during a writers panel hosted by a mutual friend. Although they had not spoken to each other since their love ended, they were forever in each other's thoughts when writing their respective novels, a fact that only they were aware of. Even after so many years, their feelings are still electrifying, but one question remains, can they overcome the events of the past? Sometimes, reading a romance novel can seem formulaic, but this story broke every formula I have ever experienced in my literary adventures. Each chapter told me something about Eva and Shane that I genuinely did not expect. On...
Post a Comment
Read more

"So, do you miss coffee?"

Today is Monday, and I have tasked myself with the near impossible goal of writing an adequate blog post (and subsequently an Instagram post) before I have to go to work.  Why does this task have such an intense deadline, you may ask.  Well, I read this book, and I just cannot wait to talk about it.  What would you miss... ...If you were an astronaut tasked with observing other planets in the galaxy? Try to remember, that it takes about fourteen years to get back to Earth, and just as long for a message to be sent or received. Thus, any news you receive is over a decade old, and you must spend the time you are not working in torpor, which slows your body's aging process as you move from planet to planet.  This is the mission Ariadne and her crew are set with in Becky Chambers' novel, To Be Taught, If Fortunate . Although the chemistry of the crew allows them to operate more as a family than as coworkers, they still face challenges during their decades lo...
Post a Comment
Read more