I think there are actually two things going on. And the authors that article is doting on (sorry, Franzen isn't good) are just tapping into them. 1. Some books

I think there are actually two things going on. And the authors that article is doting on (sorry, Franzen isn't good) are just tapping into them. 1. Some books are chasing the past for its aesthetics or gravitas. One version of this is trying to reinvent old mythologies you loved as a child. Another is to write a novel about a child growing up in 1930's Germany and now it's a serious novel worthy of serious attention by serious critics. If either of those are your jam, that's cool. 2. The other is escaping the present time, for a writer, sets you (and your readers) free from our politics and our cell phones and our knowledge, under a strange set of social norms where traveling long distances and sharing information are real hurdles. One of my favorite books these days is Dexter Palmer's "The Rabbit Queen," about a hoax from the point of view of the fooled physicians in 1726. Yes it's based on real events, but it can also have characters and situations that would never work or even make sense if set in modern times.