Tidbits: Tasty Morsels from the Pages of History

“The past is a foreign country. They do things differently over there.” L.P. Hartley

This opening line from a novel I’ve never read, by an author I’ve never heard of, is one of my all-time favorite quotes. It perfectly captures the relationship we who are alive today have with history. The people and places sound familiar, but still seem awfully odd!

Every historical novelist can testify to this. A tale set over one hundred years in the past turns the author into a tour guide for a country no one can ever visit. We writers read memoirs, letters, guidebooks, court records, and academic tomes, but will never be able interview residents in person. Therefore, we strive to find the narrative sweet spot. We work hard to get the research right, but also strive to anchor the story in the characters’ humanity, no matter when they lived. They are like us—even though they are not like us.

And, to be honest, the “not like us” bit is fun! Authors get to choose interesting and even strange historical snippets to weave into the story. Not too much detail—nothing weighs down fiction more than endless, barely relevant facts—but enough particulars to paint a rich picture of what life might have been like in times gone by.

All this is to say I’m creating a sub-set of blog posts—entitled Tidbits—to share some of the historical inspiration and background influencing Of Gentlemen and Heroes. The eighteenth century is a fascinating period on the cusp of modernity, but still rooted in older attitudes and customs. To read about it is to immerse oneself an alien, though still recognizable and relatable, world.

So… look for these posts here in the future—enjoy!