tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post5804448519369675054..comments2024-03-23T12:38:46.260+00:00Comments on The History Girls: Dialogue in Novels - a Medieval Experiment by Gillian PolackMary Hoffmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06241989732624913706noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-57128413128811688722014-11-03T17:23:18.423+00:002014-11-03T17:23:18.423+00:00Welcome, Gillian. And what a fascinating post! Thi...Welcome, Gillian. And what a fascinating post! This is certainly something I wrestle with and enjoy trying to get right (or right-seeming). The importance of religion in people's thought and conversation should not be under-estimated. Ann Turnbullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06484265041343702129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-50141965596645886872014-11-03T12:03:35.808+00:002014-11-03T12:03:35.808+00:00What a wonderful welcome you're all giving me....What a wonderful welcome you're all giving me. Thank you! <br /><br />Jel Cel - it's the Canberra/Sydney road. I have taken that bus so many times!Gillian Polackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07113321985223288302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-52715042581552325862014-11-03T10:29:48.873+00:002014-11-03T10:29:48.873+00:00Lovely and thoughtful post, Gillian, and welcome t...Lovely and thoughtful post, Gillian, and welcome to the blog! Katherine Langrishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12529700103932422873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-87576311880670462432014-11-03T04:33:11.722+00:002014-11-03T04:33:11.722+00:00Being an avid historical fiction reader and writer...Being an avid historical fiction reader and writer, it spoils a story when writers are not careful about dialogue. Thanks for this post, Gillian. Just bought the book, and expect to enjoy it.Daibhinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04998046015282761684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-35081739423680094852014-11-02T16:45:16.754+00:002014-11-02T16:45:16.754+00:00What a rich post for the historical writer, Gillia...What a rich post for the historical writer, Gillian! I read parts twice. I find as you admit, reading source text of the time and getting voice is key. In my case writing of Eleanor in 12th Century Aquitaine and the English-lands, reading troubadours out loud in Old French puts you in a frame of mind to discover irony, wit, and pacing for characters diction. <br />Another useful technique. If you love words, make use of the computerized OED (Oxford English Dictionary). It does more than spot anachronisms. Beyond defining the meaning of a word in its time, it cites sentences of first use whose grammar and other words often provide great food for thought. Plus you can magically sort the entire OED by date to provide a corpus of words to form paragraphs.<br />You also hint at one of the best parts of summoning the past as a writer - not so much to spot concepts that did not exist, but to find anew ones that did. Getting lost in translation is character building, and the discoveries are like coming across an ancient recipe no longer made, say Giuseppe’s Tortoni or Medieval Pot-Bread. One relishes their restoration.Mark Beaulieuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05542348600565030318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-8120505562214618232014-11-02T13:39:39.963+00:002014-11-02T13:39:39.963+00:00I love this blog. It is really timely and reflects...I love this blog. It is really timely and reflects what I am trying to do in my novel. Edihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08623773107081095609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-33150563421740750242014-11-02T13:04:38.478+00:002014-11-02T13:04:38.478+00:00Hi Gillian, some great pointers there. Thank you f...Hi Gillian, some great pointers there. Thank you for sharing. It's a very difficult task getting it right and it reminded me of a conversation we had about using the word adrenalin for what a medieval character was experiencing. Bit that one went in fir ages! <br />Best of luck with the book<br /><br />Regards PaulaPaula Loftinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17138899684247746388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-3713524688239811052014-11-02T12:01:34.189+00:002014-11-02T12:01:34.189+00:00Interesting reading Gillian. Language was somethin...Interesting reading Gillian. Language was something that I had to think carefully about in my latest novel The Embroiderer. Spanning 150 years and set in Greece and Turkey, I had to face quite a difference in the way people spoke and I really enjoyed putting myself into another time and place - like an actor acting out his part in a play. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15473221652983085595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-52450579970492250612014-11-02T11:34:13.089+00:002014-11-02T11:34:13.089+00:00Welcome Gillian, welcome fellow Australian, or Aus...Welcome Gillian, welcome fellow Australian, or Australian resident. Thank you for an interesting post, and I have been wondering where you travelled to Sydney from. Hopefully I can get to your book some time.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18263441505553628559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-31202305487191522602014-11-02T11:33:23.348+00:002014-11-02T11:33:23.348+00:00I really enjoyed reading that, I really enjoyed reading that, Libbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08464271602344677198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-73408005520313845632014-11-02T10:12:55.423+00:002014-11-02T10:12:55.423+00:00Thank you, Adele!Thank you, Adele!Gillian Polackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07113321985223288302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-44705996686165263892014-11-02T10:12:18.186+00:002014-11-02T10:12:18.186+00:00Welcome to the History Girls. Very much enjoyed re...Welcome to the History Girls. Very much enjoyed reading this! Lovely!adelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15826710558292792068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-5335281698384695662014-11-02T10:10:52.633+00:002014-11-02T10:10:52.633+00:00PS EC - I love it that there are so many choices f...PS EC - I love it that there are so many choices for novelists. There's not one single 'correct' way of writing history into fiction.Gillian Polackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07113321985223288302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-55700027777701142942014-11-02T10:09:02.314+00:002014-11-02T10:09:02.314+00:00Thank you :). Thirty were identified, but that was...Thank you :). Thirty were identified, but that was one location, not in the whole of London. We're only just finding out so much stuff - maybe one day we'll know precisely how many public and semi-public toilets there were.Gillian Polackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07113321985223288302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-21328172731269152022014-11-02T10:06:58.858+00:002014-11-02T10:06:58.858+00:00Welcome Gillian!
What a cracker of a first post an...Welcome Gillian!<br />What a cracker of a first post and what a lot of thinking and working through! I loved seeing the workings out behind it all and I think it's an important post for writers of historical fiction.I must admit that in my earlier writing I went much more for inserting 'flavour' words than I do now. There are better ways of being immersive and you have certainly highlighted a major one.<br />BTW How many public toilets were there in Medieval London? :-) Elizabeth Chadwickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16911841862257909703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-16061654004191339452014-11-02T08:40:21.209+00:002014-11-02T08:40:21.209+00:00That's good to hear, I admit. I was about to b...That's good to hear, I admit. I was about to be shy of you, too, coming from a family that watched "All Creatures.." quite avidly. We're a bookish family and compared everything to the stories. I suspect the experience taught me quite a bit about storytelling!Gillian Polackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07113321985223288302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-67982404171333620422014-11-02T08:31:36.559+00:002014-11-02T08:31:36.559+00:00Welcome, Gillian, I am relatively new as an HG too...Welcome, Gillian, I am relatively new as an HG too. Carol Drinkwaterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05837854482139736944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-35190247182516386332014-11-02T07:17:28.282+00:002014-11-02T07:17:28.282+00:00I hope you enjoy it... but if you don't, at le...I hope you enjoy it... but if you don't, at least you can deconstruct the dialogue.Gillian Polackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07113321985223288302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-20865230400435758052014-11-02T07:09:35.879+00:002014-11-02T07:09:35.879+00:00Just bought Langue[dot]doc 1305. :)Just bought Langue[dot]doc 1305. :)Sean Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14485575602984697926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-19986285577817035002014-11-02T04:13:30.236+00:002014-11-02T04:13:30.236+00:00I think most of the others are in the northern hem...I think most of the others are in the northern hemisphere, so will be asleep right now. Never mind, they'll be along soon enough. ;-)Sue Bursztynskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09362273418897882971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-32230204466801048842014-11-02T02:25:34.310+00:002014-11-02T02:25:34.310+00:00It's great to be here, Sue - thank you for bei...It's great to be here, Sue - thank you for being my very first commenter on my very first post :). I'm glad a friend got in first.Gillian Polackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07113321985223288302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-1498992254647309692014-11-02T01:23:11.872+00:002014-11-02T01:23:11.872+00:00Yes, you do have to be very careful not to have a ...Yes, you do have to be very careful not to have a character say or think something he couldn't possibly have said or thought in that time, or with his background, or use an expression that came into existence much later. And I've read too much historical fiction in which that appends. And yes, it's irritating to read a conversation in which a character says one word in the original language when the rest of it has been "translated" into English, ;-)<br /><br />Welcome to one of my favourite blogs, Gillian!Sue Bursztynskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09362273418897882971noreply@blogger.com