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Can't read article due to subscribe-wall but just putting in a shout for Wolf Hall and its sequels. I know its kindof redundant to recommend something already s
by codeulike 6y ago
Can't read article due to subscribe-wall but just putting in a shout for Wolf Hall and its sequels. I know its kindof redundant to recommend something already so successful and well known, but if you've been steering clear of that stuff because it seems boring, really, its worth checking out. It brings "500 years ago" to life in a very vivid, intricate way, and the main character is such a fascinating ahead-of-their-time badass.
- billfruit 6y agoOn the other hand I found Wolf Hall and its sequels rather underwhelming, and failed to evoke a sense of the past. It's characters seemed to think as if they were living in today's world, and it is lacking in description and established of a firmly historical sounding background. For example it makes no effort to give a sense of the vocabulary or pattern of speech of its time.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- codeulike 6y agoA deliberate choice by the author, she writes about it here https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303459004577363870847167262 https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303459004577363... A writer must broker a compromise between then and now, and choose a plain style that can be adapted to different characters: not just to their ages and personalities and intelligence level, but to their place in life. I use modern English but shift it sideways a little, so that there are some unusual words, some Tudor rhythms, a suggestion of otherness