I don't mind a bit of "historical escapism" with 21st-Century-style characters dropped into a setting they're unlikely to have developed in, but I certainly share your view that its prevalence is worrying. A bit more balance and historically considerate fiction would be welcome.
Anne Scott McLeod's point that Strength ... has more than one face is the key; but sadly this is seldom recognised within modern settings with contemporary characters, never mind requiring authors to put themselves in the place of characters we have no directly observable prototypes for. I don't excuse it, it just seems to be the way it is.
I don't think it's just down to fiction writers; I don't think much of the reductive reporting in our media, especially the papers, which attempts to paint everything in black and white from a particular viewpoint. Naturally the red-tops are worst, but it's everywhere.
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I don't mind a bit of "historical escapism" with 21st-Century-style characters dropped into a setting they're unlikely to have developed in, but I certainly share your view that its prevalence is worrying. A bit more balance and historically considerate fiction would be welcome.
Anne Scott McLeod's point that Strength ... has more than one face is the key; but sadly this is seldom recognised within modern settings with contemporary characters, never mind requiring authors to put themselves in the place of characters we have no directly observable prototypes for. I don't excuse it, it just seems to be the way it is.
I don't think it's just down to fiction writers; I don't think much of the reductive reporting in our media, especially the papers, which attempts to paint everything in black and white from a particular viewpoint. Naturally the red-tops are worst, but it's everywhere.