#HistFicThursdays - When History and Fiction Dance - Guest Post - Tempest Wright

Happy #HistFicThursdays! Today, I'm thrilled to be sharing a guest post from Tempest Wright's work in progress: The McKarthy Journals: Brothers In Secrets! Read on to share in the guest post - and what an incredible title for a post it is! - but first, let's meet the book...

Brendan - one half of the McKarthy pair...

Blurb

In 1822, there is no way for one to dissolve an arranged marriage or aspire to higher fates…unless one is fortunate enough to possess an acquaintance with the McKarthy brothers. While veiling themselves in a shroud of propriety, the brothers wield their position within high society to defy social norms for the liberation of many – at the expense of a few.

The sudden appearance of a notorious London criminal in their quiet corner of Kent, not only threatens everything achieved through the Mckarthys’ indiscretions, but conjures up a dark history the brothers are desperate to keep buried. Juggling to maintain their façade and contain this impending threat, the brothers soon begin to realize the murderous presence is no coincidence, but the onset of something – or someone – far more dangerous...

...And Matthew - the other half!

Guest Post

When History and Fiction Dance

  Their eyes lock, prompting him to take his first step forward.

Weaving through the crowd, he never once glances away; her beauty a mesmerizing lure.

She glances down nervously, sure she must be mistaken. But once before her, his steady gaze gives no excuse for mistaking. History offers Fiction his hand.

“Shall we dance?”

Their fingers touch, the curious spark igniting into a blazing fire. Enraptured, they dance about the floor in a seamless waltz.

Ah, the magic of writing historical fiction! Some authors make it look easy.

For many historical fiction authors, history is indeed the leading man. He is the one that inspires them. Fiction follows his lead, bringing long-dead history back to life.

But what if the roles were reversed? Can Fiction be the leading man?

This can be a particularly dangerous situation.

Too often, Fiction as the lead tries to step on the toes of History, dragging her where he wants to go, instead of elegantly leading her across the dancefloor. We’ve seen this so often in movies and books where pieces of integral history are tossed away or forgotten in favor of a good story.

True, Fiction by nature, is rather manipulative. When cast as the lead of inspiration, can he be anything less than a villain?

Here is my confession: fiction has always taken the lead in my life. It doesn’t take much for my imagination to run amuck with characters and intricate plots.

I’m going to terrify a few, I’m sure, when I admit most of my inspiration came through movies; not historical fact or even reading. Watching A&E’S version of Pride and Prejudice excited my imagination towards the regency; Rupert Everette’s take on Oscar Wilde’s Lord Goring made me fall in love with wit and satire, and Anthony Andrews was the most perfect Scarlet Pimpernel one could ask for – a man just as at home in lace and silk as he was in mud and rags in front of a French guillotine. Thankfully, these inspirations did get me reading the source material.

But it also fostered a love of older settings. I love going to historical theme parks and buildings and being emersed in history, by brain promptly making up stories of the fictional people who lived there.

From these inspirations, The McKarthy Brothers were born.

However, as often is the case when Fiction takes the lead, I began to realize that my story did not automatically sync with history. I had simply thrown my characters into the 1820’s, thinking it would be a good decade. Alas, Napoleon, abolition and the war of 1812 happened before this, and the Victorian era, with its massive change and reforms, was about ten years ahead. I wanted my brothers to play an integral role to change…and found I hadn’t exactly thought this through.

Thus, my leading man Fiction went scanning the dancefloor to find Lady History for validation. To my absolute horror, he offered his hand to a lady of political history (I rather detest politics). But from this treacherous waltz, I found The Great Reform Act of 1832.

I’m sure, for many readers here, this is just a part of your national history. Perhaps you were taught in school. But as a Canadian, this great Reform Act that paved the way for multiple reforms in the 19^th century, hadn’t really been stressed in history class.

What piqued my interest was the eradication of many Rotten Boroughs.

Rotten Boroughs were a corrupt form of political representation. Boroughs were election districts, having the ability to send one or two MPs to the House of Commons. Voters were required to own property that had a rateable value of forty shillings a year. But the boundaries of these boroughs, while they could be expanded and moved, did not take into account the number of voters they had. Many boroughs that once held thriving cities in the Middle Ages, were now nothing more than tiny hamlets.

The most infamous Rotten Borough, Old Serum, held only three houses, and claimed seven voters, but sent two MP’s to Parliament. Manchester housed over sixty thousand people at the time, but was given no representation.

The lack of voters allowed the wealthy patrons who owned the borough, (often themselves in the House of Lords) to easily wield their wealth and power, convincing the voters to send the MPs that would suit their own interests. This gave them even more control in the government, and less to the constituents the MP’s were supposed to represent.

Leading men of Fiction would be tempted to skip over details, and leave this political history where they found her. But here lays the key to writing with Fiction taking the lead: be patient.

 A good fiction lead will learn more for the sake of making their story as realistic as possible. Shall we see how this might play out?

“Fascinating,” he says, “but may I ask a theoretical question?”

Her eyes narrowed, as he guided Lady History through a turn. “I detest theoretical questions,” she answered.

“Pray oblige me, for your knowledge is vast,” he begged, then diverted her in a new direction. “If a conniving patron wished to gain more power, would it not be a matter of holding these rotten boroughs.”

“Perhaps,” she says coyly, “however history shows there were many such patrons. One man would surely attract attention by claiming them all.”

“True,” Fiction sighs, his eyes searching for another option. “What about a conniving Lord who wishes to ingratiate himself to such patrons. If he exercised influence over them, would he not influence their MP’s and even England by extension?”

“Theoretically, but he’d have to be very conniving,” she answered as he pulled her in from a twirl. Her keen eyes glared back at him. “What are you thinking?”

In truth, he is thinking of how this historical Reform Act would act as a climax in ending his fictional antagonist’s aims; a fictional character ruined from very real circumstance.

No, if your Fiction is a smart leading man, he will not tread upon the toes of history. He will tease her, and flirt precariously with truth – but not bully her into submission. In fact, he should entertain every hope of dancing with her again, for there are many things to glean from Lady History.

In the case of the 1832 Reform Act, what made Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, acquiesce to the bill the third time it was before the House of Lords? What made those MP’s who benefitted from this arrangement, pass it? What made Lord Earl Grey fight for it so?

If Fiction is to make his fictional characters and events stand out just as strongly against historical players and events, he must dance with History over and over again.

As anyone might have guessed, the first book of my McKarthy Journals series, Brothers In Secrets, is largely fiction, emersed in a historical era. But as the series progresses, they manipulate historical characters and events under history’s radar, all the while allowing history to retain its truth.

Truth be told, I’ve always felt that History and Fiction are both inherently flawed.

History, while full of events, people, and details of truth, has bias, exaggerations, and gaps. Fiction takes these details and gaps, and fills them with exaggerations and theoretical possibilities of its own.

The one thing in both their favor is that they are innately human.

They both convey human emotion and ambition: one delivering the outcome and consequences of these things through time; and the other using them to fill in whatever history cannot speak. Both speak to the human heart and mind.

Whether you are a historian dabbling in fiction, or a fiction-lover dabbling in history, both will only be valid if you can make history and fiction dance seamlessly as one. So for all the historical authors out there, have fun for whichever is your strongest passion, take to the floor and enjoy the dance!

 You can follow Tempest on these links:

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One of Tempest's inspirations:
Constable's Old Sarum
(accessed via Wikimedia)