tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post5295836615090309745..comments2023-10-25T05:30:54.507-04:00Comments on Oh Get A Grip!: Historical Erotica - My ConfessionAshe Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390519279886657608noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-37447640497282703452015-04-23T15:21:44.655-04:002015-04-23T15:21:44.655-04:00Willsin, I am really digging your perspective. I h...Willsin, I am really digging your perspective. I have written more historical stuff than I thought I did, but I definitely identify with what you're saying here. I appreciate your discussion of Fingersmith and Delta of Venus, too!Annabeth Leonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07455191827664110878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-20416497991857010602015-04-23T15:20:47.381-04:002015-04-23T15:20:47.381-04:00This is a good point, though I wonder if anything ...This is a good point, though I wonder if anything set in a time significantly prior to the present would be historical, whether the author can remember it or not...Annabeth Leonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07455191827664110878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-83853100775990188382015-04-19T00:15:41.512-04:002015-04-19T00:15:41.512-04:00Hmm. Theorizing here about this. From the viewpoin...Hmm. Theorizing here about this. From the viewpoint of writers, anything set in a period earlier than they can clearly remember counts as historical. That probably works for readers, too. These days the 50s and 60s could be historical settings unless you were actually there, as Daddy X and I were. i've written WWII stories that I thought of as historical, but with a hint of nostalgia, because my parents remembered it clearly, and I was exposed to some of the popular songs of the era. I have to do a fair bit of research to get details right, but I still have a personal "feel" for those times. For, say, the Elizabethan period, or the Mongol Invasion of Europe, and yes, I've written erotica with those settings, I have to do more intense research, and I'm sure I make plenty of mistakes.<br /><br />In the case of the time traveller, the hard part would be describing the future world. The 21st century part might be considered historical, though, fifty or a hundred years from now when readers (assuming there are readers by then) feel like they're living in a different world from ours. Things written in the past are historical from the perspective of the reader, while things written in the present about the past are historical to the writer as well, who has the disadvantage of relying on sources rather than experience, and the advantage of knowing how the world has subsequently changed. Or maybe that last part is a disadvantage, too, because we struggle with refraining from imposing contemporary mindsets on characters and cultures in the past. (And, of course, with remembering not to let our characters have a coffee in a period before coffee was introduced to whatever area our characters inhabit.)Sacchi Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10801164916418570059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-43284336999448508712015-04-18T03:19:43.739-04:002015-04-18T03:19:43.739-04:00That's a good point, too, and one that Lisabet...That's a good point, too, and one that Lisabet touched on as well: when is a piece of fiction considered "historical"? And what about time travel? If we have a protagonist who travels back to the 21st Century from the 28th, does that qualify as historical? And if not...when will it?<br /><br />Ahem...I think I'll have a coffee...Willsin Rowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07255684467269187446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-42855420398643402532015-04-18T03:14:36.760-04:002015-04-18T03:14:36.760-04:00Oh, yes, it's definitely erotic, but no, I did...Oh, yes, it's definitely erotic, but no, I didn't think it would qualify as erotica. I think I borrowed "The Night Watch" from my local library but didn't manage to set aside the time to read it.Willsin Rowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07255684467269187446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-9656621122071885832015-04-17T20:24:17.251-04:002015-04-17T20:24:17.251-04:00I don't particularly like historical fiction, ...I don't particularly like historical fiction, either writing or reading. Of course, there are the exceptions, such as early and mid-20th century stuff. You mention Anais Nin. I really like one of her friends: Lawrence Durrell. His Alexandria Quartet is one of my faves. In fact, whenever I come across a set, I'll buy them to give to friends. Guess it's just how far back you go.Daddy Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12927663248424944119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-34354171510130697072015-04-17T08:45:43.151-04:002015-04-17T08:45:43.151-04:00Hi, Willsin!
You don't consider "Fingers...Hi, Willsin!<br /><br />You don't consider "Fingersmith" to be erotic? (Okay, not erotica, I'll agree!) One of my all time favorite books, a true tour-de-force - even better than "Tipping the Velvet". Actually her more recent book "The Night Watch" is also excellent, set during the bombing of London in WWII, full of erotic tension though not very explicit.<br /><br />Of course, Mary above is talking about TRUE historical erotica, that is, erotic fiction written in the past. That's an interesting twist on the topic. How far in the past does something need to be in order to be labeled as "historical", though?Lisabet Saraihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05162514190572269660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-50718929017680624272015-04-17T06:40:51.067-04:002015-04-17T06:40:51.067-04:00Oh, thank you. That reminds me that I have a copy ...Oh, thank you. That reminds me that I have a copy of Lady Chatterly's Lover as well, though have not ventured deep inside her pages yet.Willsin Rowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07255684467269187446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-78379495116605730842015-04-17T04:29:14.307-04:002015-04-17T04:29:14.307-04:00Fanny Hill - The Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure by...Fanny Hill - The Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure by John Cleland http://www.amazon.co.uk/Memoirs-Fanny-Genuine-Original-London-ebook/dp/B0082XC2LW/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1429259227&sr=1-1&keywords=fanny+hill. Still very fresh, although it was written in 1749, and beautifully erotic without ever becoming nasty. It's free on kindle.Mary Blackhurst Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16475377044661004712noreply@blogger.com