Quote:
Originally Posted by gmw
However, retention of the class distinctions, and gender roles, doesn't make this book stand out from the crowd. I see it pretty much the same as re-reading Tarzan books now: you have to be ready to cringe a bit, and be thankful that there are some things we have (at least partly) grown out of.
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Oh, I didn't really cringe, not even when Percy kissed the steps. Autres temps, autres mœurs. But it's fun to examine, especially since we're talking two realities; that of the book itself and also that of the time it was written, as is always the case with historical fiction. I said it before, but I'll repeat it; I think that's one thing Orczy got right, the sense of society a century before she was writing. She was much more on point than much of what passes as historical fiction today, which is all modern sensibilities dressed up in lace and brocade.
That's what makes me cringe.