Quote:
Originally Posted by hildea
Really? Her books show Heyer's version of the regency. Maybe it was well researched by the standards of historical novels written at her time, but Fry's claim is vastly exaggerated. (Compare Austen - who was contemporary with the regency - with Heyer, or read studies about Heyer like this one ("Her famous "Regency slang" is Heyer's own creation") or this one.) |
I had to single out this paragraph for comment. I’ve never succeeded in really liking Heyer and this suggests why. To me, she screams, “Look at all this impeccable research I’ve done!” The parade of vehicles, for example; the only time I can remember an issue being made in Austen regarding a type of vehicle is the famous barouche-landau in
Emma. And that’s because, it’s obvious, contemporary writers not only can’t be bothered to draw attention to everyday items, it also wouldn’t occur to them. The same comment can be made about Heyer’s famous slang, whether real or made up. It’s not organic, it’s there to make a point.
Heyer’s not alone in this, of course. I’ve just started the
Dissolution series by C.J. Sansom; the first book’s set in 1537. It’s a good read, don’t get me wrong (although shorter would be better; there’s too much wheel-spinning), and at least Sansom doesn’t fall into the “Forsooth!” trap. He falls into others, though, due to his first person narration. Why would a sixteenth century person make a point of saying that he walked beyond the overhang of the houses, so as to avoid the pisspots? Of course he would! That’s autopilot stuff, like saying you look to the left when crossing the street, noteworthy only when you’re a Yank in London and about to get run over. The one that particularly gets me because it happens every few pages is when Shardlake comments on body odor. I can’t even imagine how ripe a denizen of the 1500s would have to be in order for it to be worthy of comment.
Anyway. As to your second question, I quite liked
The Corinthian, which was funny. People love
Grand Sophy but I was pretty meh on that; it was one where I felt metaphorically run over by all those different carriages. I have an interest in the Napoleonic Wars and read her Waterloo novel,
An Infamous Army which was only ok, but it was better than
The Spanish Bride, a fictionalized true story which was awfully dull stuff. However, I’ll note that there’s nothing like a historical novel for fixing the facts of an event in your mind, so I’ll give them both credit for that.
No mention’s been made of her Golden Age mysteries. Sayers doesn’t have to look to her laurels, but they’re readable of their kind.