Welcome to The Romance of History from its editor, Pauline Montagna. These editorials will tell you what this ezine is all about.
I grew up reading historical romance. From an early age I devoured Jean Plaidy and Georgette Heyer, writers that shaped my concept of romance and fired a lifelong interest in history. But it seems that the genre as I knew it has been taken over by the category romance industry that now defines ‘historical romance’ as a genre I find neither romantic nor historical.
I’m sure you’ve all seen them, paperbacks with lurid covers on which a damsel in a low-cut bodice is swooning in the arms of a long-haired swain whose torn shirt reveals a hairless muscular torso. ‘Well,’ you may think as you pass them by, ‘each to her own.’
And so thought I for many years until I came to write my first novel and found it dismissed as just such an ‘historical romance’. When I submitted it to a manuscript assessor I was advised that if I put in more frequent and explicit sex-scenes it would make a successful bodice-ripper. Well, the reason why it wasn’t a bodice-ripper was because I never intended it to be! In fact I had striven to make my characters true to their time and place, including in their attitudes to sex.
This experience revealed to me an unpleasant reality. The genre I loved so much had been hijacked and subjected to the selfsame treatment that half-clad swain has in mind for that swooning damsel.
My main complaint against the category ‘historical romance’ is that it imposes on its characters attitudes towards gender roles and relationships that are decidedly modern. Heroines have to be feisty and heroes, although reportedly ‘dangerous’, proto-feminists. This is particularly galling in matters of sex. Women in these ‘historical romances’ indulge in sexual behaviour that has only been possible since the introduction of the contraceptive pill in the 1960s.
I’m not all that old, but I can still remember a time when a young woman did not jump willy-nilly into bed with the first chap she took a fancy to, and if she did she had to bear the likely consequences – getting pregnant, getting caught and getting a ‘reputation’ – all of which were social suicide. The writers (or should I lay the blame where it belongs and say the publishers and editors) of these ‘historical romances’ have conveniently forgotten what has been an unavoidable fact for all of history except for the last forty years or so, a mass amnesia I find rather disturbing.
When I was a child we had a set of children’s encyclopaedias that I wasn’t allowed to touch for many years. There was one volume in the set that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on. It was titled The Romance of History. You can imagine my disappointment when I finally got to read it and found, instead of titillating love stories, just a lot of stuff about the olden days. I’ve decided to call this ezine by the same title because now, when I open a so called ‘historical romance’, I’m disappointed for the very contrary reason. I like the irony.
The purpose of this magazine is to reclaim the term ‘historical romance’ from the category romance publishers who hold it to ransom. Its motto will be the immortal words of LP Hartley: The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there. It will be devoted to authentic historical romance – stories set in a past accurately rendered, about real people experiencing genuine relationships within the physical and social parameters as they actually existed in their time. Swooning damsels and muscular swains need not apply.
As this magazine’s editor and originator, my writings might dominate this issue, but I do not want to be a one-woman band. I invite other writers and readers of authentic historical fiction to join me and submit reviews and articles for this publication. (However I must warn you, there will be no financial reward, only a moral one.)
Welcome to the second edition of The Romance of History. (If you missed the first issue, not to worry, all the articles are in the archive. See the links to the left.)
This issue introduces two new contributors.
Susan Higginbotham is the author of The Traitor’s Wife, set in the tumultuous reign of Edward II. A writer since her teenage years and a lawyer, Susan works in publishing and is the convenor of the Historical Fiction Excerpts group. Susan reviews two novels about two very different Catherines and their marriages into the English royal family.
Hoping to attract a few male readers, and anyone with an interest in Japanese history, I also welcome the first instalment of a two-part article on James Clavell’s Shogun, by Francis A. Miniter. Francis, too, is a lawyer who specialises in workers' rights, and, as though that isn't enough, is also a classics scholar, a book collector, a keen photographer, and a student of history, especially Japanese history. Francis shows us how the celebrated novel Shogun fits into that history and a Japanese tradition of historical fiction.
But don’t think you’ve escaped my influence altogether. In this issue I’m beginning a three part series on the sorry fate of a much loved genre, Regency Romance. I also reminisce about another old favourite of mine, Jean Plaidy.
This ezine is for all lovers of Historical Fiction – both readers and writers – and again I extend an invitation to you all to participate by contributing an article, writing a letter to the editor, or joining the discussion group. Let’s make our feelings known to publishers about what we really want to read!
Welcome to Issue Three of The Romance of History, an ezine for lovers of authentic historical fiction.
This month we continue with two articles begun last month.
Francis Miniter concludes his appreciation of James Clavell’s Shogun. Francis not only places Shogun within the context of Japanese history, but shows us how it fits into the Japanese tradition of historical fiction, especially in relation to a much celebrated Japanese author, Eiji Yoshikawa. And, demonstrating splendid timing, Yoshikawa’s novels, Taiko and Musashi, have just appeared in our bookshops in splendid new editions.
I continue my quest to discover the fate of Regency Romance. This month I look at how the work of the pioneers of the genre has been transmuted into the contemporary ‘Traditional’ Regency. Innocuous it may be, but how much does it really owe to Pride and Prejudice?
I also begin a two part article on the contemporary art of cover design. The new historical novels we see in our bookshops catch the eye with striking cover designs, but do those covers truly represent the books’ contents?
I would particularly like to draw your attention to Inside the Mind a review of Colin Falconer’s Feathered Serpent (also known as Aztec), a brilliant novel I would heartily recommend.
Are you a new reader? Don’t despair. You haven’t missed anything. The contents of all previous issues are in the archive. And our invitation for your contributions is always open.
Enjoy Issue Three of The Romance of History and I look forward your company in Issue Four.
Welcome to the November/December edition of The Romance of History
Yes, I know, I’m running a bit late this time, but one does tend to slow down a little as the end of year approaches. I daresay you’ve all been hanging out to find out about the ultimate fate of the Regency Romance. Well, here it is and a sad fate it is, indeed it is ‘a fate worse than death’ for our once innocent heroine. You will also find the final part of my survey of the relationship between cover and content.
But if you should tire of such light fare, Francis Miniter returns with something meaty for you to sink your teeth into. If you thought The Name of the Rose was just another historical mystery, think again. In this issue we begin his three part discussion of Umberto Eco’s novel. As a celebrated semiologist, Eco could not write a novel with only one layer of meaning. After reading Francis’s study, you will want to go straight off to re-read the novel and this time you’ll understand what it’s really all about.
Your editor again reaches back into her dim, dark past to re-visit another favourite author, Mary Renault. Renault’s sensitive portrayals of Ancient Greece, in my humble opinion, have never been bettered.
I would also like to re-iterate my invitation to readers to make their own contribution. I want this ezine to reflect a wide range of views and interests.
Is there a writer you enjoyed as a youngster and have returned to sample in your mature years? Have you discovered a new writer who has impressed you, or exasperated you? Have you come across any recent releases you would like to write a review of? Do you have a favourite historical novel or series you would like to write an appreciation of? Do you have a pet grouse about modern historical fiction you’d like to get off your chest, or a new trend you find intriguing, or a sub-genre you’d like to explore? Have you come across a little gem from times long past you feel has been neglected?
Or, if you are writer of historical fiction, would you like to tell us about yourself, about what makes you write and what you write about?
The Romance of History is waiting to hear from you.
Welcome to the new look Romance of History. All the old features are still here, but you will need to take just one more step to find them. If you click on Archive, you will find the gateway to all the articles from the current and past editions of The Romance of History. But before you do that, have a look at the great reading we have in this edition.
We have the second part of Francis Miniter’s study of Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose. In this section, Francis examines the question crucial to the meaning of the novel: are Laughter and the Christian faith compatible?
Susan Higginbotham writes about a fascinating character she knows well, Edward II’s infamous queen, Isabella of France. Susan’s article shows how the portrayal of Isabella has changed over the last fifty years. I also see in it a salutary lesson on the dangers of imposing current political correctness to characters that were not even politically correct in their own time. Susan’s own well received novel, The Traitor’s Wife, is set during the reign of Edward II and charts the rise and fall of Edward’s notorious favourite, Hugh le Despenser.
Our friend Dolores McCabe’s article is also a cautionary tale on the dangers that can be encountered on entering a writing competition. We can only hope that Dolores has not been entirely discouraged from pursuing a her own dream.
And finally, this edition introduces a new feature: Short Histories – historical short stories.
Our inaugural Short History is Dreamed a Dream by Judy Crozier. Judy came across this story while researching her own ancestor Captain Francis Crozier who tragically perished while trying to find the elusive North-West Passage. Judy’s story is a poetic evocation of his final days as he descends inexorably into lead-poisoning induced madness. It has won prizes in the Fish International Short Histories Competition and from the Fellowship of Australian Writers.
In the Short Histories Archive, I’ve also included links to a couple of historical short stories of my own. If you enjoy those, you can find more of my stories in The Perils of Pauline section of the site. (Go on, click here to give it a try. You never know, you might enjoy them!)
Needless to say, my readers are urged to submit stories of their own. (Payment at the usual rate, zilch! But think of the kudos!)
Until our next, all the best from your editor.
Welcome to the sixth edition of The Romance of History. This edition will take you to the last days of the Roman Empire, into the private lives of the British Regency, and into a Medieval monastery. We also introduce a new author to our circle.
Alan Fisk has had a life just as varied and exciting as any in his several historical novels. He has lived in England, Austria, Singapore and Canada, and has been an economist, an Air Force officer and a technical author. He now lives in London. As well as historical fiction he has also written science fiction under the penname John Raymond. His latest novel, Cupid and the Silent Goddess, will be reviewed in our next edition.
Francis Miniter concludes his article on Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose. He demonstrates that political and religious fanaticism have been around for a very long time and that the ability to laugh is one of the fundamental characteristics that makes us human.
Your editor has allowed herself two entries in this edition. The first explores a period of history few of us know much about, the late Roman Empire. I got to know two extraordinary men, who, in their own ways, tried to turn back the tide of history: the Emperor Julian who resisted early Christianity and attempted to revive the worship of the ancient gods, and Count Belisarius who fought against the Germanic tribes that were overrunning Western Europe.
And I know you will say I have a real bee in my bonnet about Regency Romance, but the article in this edition was inspired by a book I found in a secondhand bookshop and couldn’t resist, Passion and Principle: The loves and lives of Regency women by Jane Aiken Hodge. I was fascinated to find how starkly different the realities of the times were to the so-called ‘Regency Romances’ churned out by the mass-market publishers.
If you are a writer or lover of historical fiction I invite you to join our circle. Tell us about yourself and what you have written, or contribute articles, reviews and stories for publication. We cannot offer to pay you, but we can offer a forum for your passions.
If this is your first visit to The Romance of History, you are in for a great read. When you’ve read the latest issue, have a dip into our Archive, and discover a treasure trove of articles, reviews and stories. Then put us on your list of favourites and visit us from time to time.
The Romance of History is a publication of Mountain Lily Press. Click here to find out what else this site has to offer.
Welcome to the seventh issue of The Romance of History.
In this edition we deliver the promises we made you in our last. We have a review of Alan Fisks’s latest novel, and the rest of my article on Regency Romance. We also introduce a new contributor to the team.
Alan Fisk’s delightful novel, Cupid and the Silent Goddess, is set in Renaissance Florence and is the imagined story behind Bronzino’s masterpiece Allegory with Venus and Cupid. Alan brings to life the intriguing characters in the painting and the fascinating artist who painted them.
Continuing on the theme of novels with paintings and painters as their subject is Dutch Interiors, a look at the recent spate of historical novels set in Holland at the height of her economic prosperity and artistic expression.
You will also find the conclusion to my article How to Write a Regency Romance (and, I promise, that of my own obsession with the subject!). This month I look at some true life romances of Regency woman and ask: Would Avon publish this story?
Our new contributor is Carla Nayland. She is the author of two novels, Paths of Exile set in post-Roman Britain and Ingeld’s Daughter, an historical fantasy, set at the cusp of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in a country not unlike England. With her special interest in Medieval Britain, Carla is well placed to review the classic Merlin trilogy by Mary Stewart.
Carla and I are also contributors to Yesterday Revisited, a blog set up by authors of historical fiction for their readers. As we are an eclectic bunch with interests that range over time and across continents, you are sure to find something there that will appeal to you. The blog is interactive and we look forward to receiving your comments.
If this is your first visit to The Romance of History, stay a while and browse. As well as all the great reading you will find in this issue, there is also our Archive where you will find a wide range of articles, reviews and stories. There’s much more here than you can read in one sitting, so make us one of your favourites and drop by when you want a break from the hurly-burly of modern life.
Your editor also invites you to contribute to The Romance of History. Tell us about the historical novels and authors you love, or, better still, your own stories of a world gone by.
Happy reading!
The Romance of History is a publication of Mountain Lily Press. Click here to find out what else this site has to offer.