Comments on: Those reviews keep coming: Sibylle on Mistress of the Revolution, and a word about historical fiction http://blog.catherinedelors.com/those-reviews-keep-coming-sibylle-on-mistress-of-the-revolution-and-a-word-about-historical-fiction/ by historical novelist Catherine Delors, author of For the King Fri, 10 Sep 2010 17:50:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: Estrella http://blog.catherinedelors.com/those-reviews-keep-coming-sibylle-on-mistress-of-the-revolution-and-a-word-about-historical-fiction/#comment-6556 Estrella Thu, 06 May 2010 10:25:27 +0000 http://catherinedelors.com/blog/those-reviews-keep-coming-sibylle-on-mistress-of-the-revolution-and-a-word-about-historical-fiction/#comment-6556 This is a nice web site. Good fresh interface and nice informative blogs. I will be coming back soon, thanks for the great blog. This is a nice web site. Good fresh interface and nice informative blogs. I will be coming back soon, thanks for the great blog.

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]]> By: CATHERINE DELORS http://blog.catherinedelors.com/those-reviews-keep-coming-sibylle-on-mistress-of-the-revolution-and-a-word-about-historical-fiction/#comment-2558 CATHERINE DELORS Tue, 13 May 2008 05:49:52 +0000 http://catherinedelors.com/blog/those-reviews-keep-coming-sibylle-on-mistress-of-the-revolution-and-a-word-about-historical-fiction/#comment-2558 Great idea, Eva! Let's launch a campaign.<br /><br />I think what I will do here is a series of individual posts about classics that are also historicals, to try and show that the genre can rise above The Harlequin Collection.<br /> Great idea, Eva! Let’s launch a campaign.

I think what I will do here is a series of individual posts about classics that are also historicals, to try and show that the genre can rise above The Harlequin Collection.

]]> By: Eva http://blog.catherinedelors.com/those-reviews-keep-coming-sibylle-on-mistress-of-the-revolution-and-a-word-about-historical-fiction/#comment-2557 Eva Tue, 13 May 2008 05:05:18 +0000 http://catherinedelors.com/blog/those-reviews-keep-coming-sibylle-on-mistress-of-the-revolution-and-a-word-about-historical-fiction/#comment-2557 That's interesting that the lowbrow assumption doesn't exist in France-we should start a campaign to eradicate it in America! Especially w/ Hawthorne...I think everyone has to read The Scarlet Letter. And there's Sir Walter Scott...he's a classic and historical author. What a fun thing to think about-I might have to post on my blog now too. :) That’s interesting that the lowbrow assumption doesn’t exist in France-we should start a campaign to eradicate it in America! Especially w/ Hawthorne…I think everyone has to read The Scarlet Letter. And there’s Sir Walter Scott…he’s a classic and historical author. What a fun thing to think about-I might have to post on my blog now too. :)

]]> By: CATHERINE DELORS http://blog.catherinedelors.com/those-reviews-keep-coming-sibylle-on-mistress-of-the-revolution-and-a-word-about-historical-fiction/#comment-2556 CATHERINE DELORS Tue, 13 May 2008 00:46:57 +0000 http://catherinedelors.com/blog/those-reviews-keep-coming-sibylle-on-mistress-of-the-revolution-and-a-word-about-historical-fiction/#comment-2556 Absolutely, Danielle. Hugo wrote poetry, plays and all kinds of fiction, but Dumas dedicated his career to HF. And they became classics. In American literature, I was forgetting to mention Hawthorne. Sarah Johnson, on the <a href="http://www.historicalnovelsociety.org/historyic.htm" rel="nofollow">site of Historical Novel Society</a>, says it very well: if a historical has literary merit, people hasten to shoehorn it into another genre.<br /> <br />Right now, I am reading another historical, <i>Jacquou le Croquant</i>. It begins in France in 1815, upon the fall of Bonaparte and the restoration of the Bourbons. Or rather I am rereading <i>Jacquou</i>. My late father recommended it to me when I was a kid. He thought it was one the best depictions of traditional peasant life ever written, and I realize now that he was right. It is very harsh, not a fluffy read by any standard, but what a novel!<br /> Absolutely, Danielle. Hugo wrote poetry, plays and all kinds of fiction, but Dumas dedicated his career to HF. And they became classics. In American literature, I was forgetting to mention Hawthorne. Sarah Johnson, on the site of Historical Novel Society, says it very well: if a historical has literary merit, people hasten to shoehorn it into another genre.

Right now, I am reading another historical, Jacquou le Croquant. It begins in France in 1815, upon the fall of Bonaparte and the restoration of the Bourbons. Or rather I am rereading Jacquou. My late father recommended it to me when I was a kid. He thought it was one the best depictions of traditional peasant life ever written, and I realize now that he was right. It is very harsh, not a fluffy read by any standard, but what a novel!

]]> By: Danielle http://blog.catherinedelors.com/those-reviews-keep-coming-sibylle-on-mistress-of-the-revolution-and-a-word-about-historical-fiction/#comment-2555 Danielle Mon, 12 May 2008 23:02:38 +0000 http://catherinedelors.com/blog/those-reviews-keep-coming-sibylle-on-mistress-of-the-revolution-and-a-word-about-historical-fiction/#comment-2555 Oh, and I have to say I love Dumas (and am now reading and enjoying Hugo)--I think of their books as classics, but I suppose they were historical fiction writers, too. Oh, and I have to say I love Dumas (and am now reading and enjoying Hugo)–I think of their books as classics, but I suppose they were historical fiction writers, too.

]]> By: Danielle http://blog.catherinedelors.com/those-reviews-keep-coming-sibylle-on-mistress-of-the-revolution-and-a-word-about-historical-fiction/#comment-2554 Danielle Mon, 12 May 2008 22:45:57 +0000 http://catherinedelors.com/blog/those-reviews-keep-coming-sibylle-on-mistress-of-the-revolution-and-a-word-about-historical-fiction/#comment-2554 I read quite a lot of historical fiction and am a great fan of it. I think there are definitely some very high quality/literary examples of it out there. Definitely there's fluffy reads as well, and sometimes that's okay if you know what you're getting into and just want entertainment. I also like 'meatier' reads most of the time--not just an entertaining story, but also I want it to be steeped in the details of the period, too. And I loved Chantal Thomas's book, too! Thanks for the link--must go check out those new books. I read quite a lot of historical fiction and am a great fan of it. I think there are definitely some very high quality/literary examples of it out there. Definitely there’s fluffy reads as well, and sometimes that’s okay if you know what you’re getting into and just want entertainment. I also like ‘meatier’ reads most of the time–not just an entertaining story, but also I want it to be steeped in the details of the period, too. And I loved Chantal Thomas’s book, too! Thanks for the link–must go check out those new books.

]]> By: CATHERINE DELORS http://blog.catherinedelors.com/those-reviews-keep-coming-sibylle-on-mistress-of-the-revolution-and-a-word-about-historical-fiction/#comment-2553 CATHERINE DELORS Mon, 12 May 2008 21:55:43 +0000 http://catherinedelors.com/blog/those-reviews-keep-coming-sibylle-on-mistress-of-the-revolution-and-a-word-about-historical-fiction/#comment-2553 Sibylle - I haven't read Philippa Gregory (I am not a fan of the Tudors) so I can't comment on her novels, but I found much to enjoy in relatively recent historicals: Umberto Eco's <i>Name of the Rose</i>, Chantal Thomas's <i>Farewell My Queen</i>, Gary Jennings's <i>Aztec</i>. Some of my friends also liked <i>Le Chat Botte</i>, about Bonaparte in the mid-1790s. Don't know whether it was, or will be translated into English, though. <br />When I was a kid, I devoured Druon's <i>Les Rois Maudits</i> (<i>The Accursed Kings</i>.) Maybe lowbrow, but so much fun!<br /> Sibylle – I haven’t read Philippa Gregory (I am not a fan of the Tudors) so I can’t comment on her novels, but I found much to enjoy in relatively recent historicals: Umberto Eco’s Name of the Rose, Chantal Thomas’s Farewell My Queen, Gary Jennings’s Aztec. Some of my friends also liked Le Chat Botte, about Bonaparte in the mid-1790s. Don’t know whether it was, or will be translated into English, though.
When I was a kid, I devoured Druon’s Les Rois Maudits (The Accursed Kings.) Maybe lowbrow, but so much fun!

]]> By: CATHERINE DELORS http://blog.catherinedelors.com/those-reviews-keep-coming-sibylle-on-mistress-of-the-revolution-and-a-word-about-historical-fiction/#comment-2552 CATHERINE DELORS Mon, 12 May 2008 21:29:54 +0000 http://catherinedelors.com/blog/those-reviews-keep-coming-sibylle-on-mistress-of-the-revolution-and-a-word-about-historical-fiction/#comment-2552 No, Eva, I don't think there's a "historical fiction stigma" in France. HF is extremely popular with French readers, who understand that some historicals are literary (and extremely well researched) and some are only meant to entertain, without bothering too much about accuracy. The positive thing is that HF doesn't necessarily scream downmarket. Beloved French authors like Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo can take credit for that. <br /> No, Eva, I don’t think there’s a “historical fiction stigma” in France. HF is extremely popular with French readers, who understand that some historicals are literary (and extremely well researched) and some are only meant to entertain, without bothering too much about accuracy. The positive thing is that HF doesn’t necessarily scream downmarket. Beloved French authors like Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo can take credit for that.

]]> By: Sibylle http://blog.catherinedelors.com/those-reviews-keep-coming-sibylle-on-mistress-of-the-revolution-and-a-word-about-historical-fiction/#comment-2551 Sibylle Mon, 12 May 2008 21:17:12 +0000 http://catherinedelors.com/blog/those-reviews-keep-coming-sibylle-on-mistress-of-the-revolution-and-a-word-about-historical-fiction/#comment-2551 Well, actually I should have been more specific : historical fiction <i>today</i> is, to me, very disappointing. Everything I've read in this genre written by contemporary authors haven't left much of an impression. I talked about Philippa Gregory in my review, for example. It's a very prolific genre, at least in English-speaking countries and I'm afraid I've only read the ones which feel more like historical Harlequins than anything else. I'm willing to give it another try, though, of course :) Well, actually I should have been more specific : historical fiction today is, to me, very disappointing. Everything I’ve read in this genre written by contemporary authors haven’t left much of an impression. I talked about Philippa Gregory in my review, for example. It’s a very prolific genre, at least in English-speaking countries and I’m afraid I’ve only read the ones which feel more like historical Harlequins than anything else. I’m willing to give it another try, though, of course :)

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