How True to the period should we be?

Please use this forum to discuss historical fiction books. Common definitions define historical fiction as novels written at least 25-50 years after the book's setting.
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northernhelper
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How True to the period should we be?

Post by northernhelper »

How revisonist do we get when historical fiction is written? Do we stay as true to the time as possible, or translate and use words and phrases of the time when the book was written. For instance, would people talk about zoot suits, that although they were known at the time, they are not known now?
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decafmama
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Post by decafmama »

I definitely think there is a delicate balance between being current and relevant and also staying true to the time period you are writing about. I wouldn't expect a Roman soldier to call someone a "Jive Turkey", but I would expect the author to include descriptions of weapons, clothes or accessories from the time period that I may not be familiar with. Similarly, if you are writing about the 1940's, descriptions of zoot suits would be completely appropriate.
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