The Problem of Context: Historical Context in Anti-Vogue
As a mythologist, I think one thing to remember is not putting our lens on modifying historical actions. Yes. We’re writing now, but historical context for all its’ Hephaestus-like ugliness, needs to be maintained to be authentic. While we should make commentary on problematic things in the past (I do this when writing about, Hellene rape myths or Norse tales of human sacrifice), it is our duty to preserve some part of historical realism. Otherwise history is reduced to a modern story in fancy clothes. There’s nothing wrong with writing a modern story in fancy clothes, but historical fiction and non-fiction requires a special sort of sensitivity.
If we are to improve historical accuracy (which I believe people in the historical fiction genre have a duty to do), we need to recognize a figure likely had different ethical and moral boundaries, and were good/bad people in their time. In our modern lens, such behaviour may be problematic or plain wrong. But say that figure in someone’s book, helps fight for women’s emancipation in a time several centuries, possibly eons before such battles took place. We are sadly now in the realm of fantasy inspired by historical things. It’s a modern story in fancy clothes, and not a work of historical fiction. If that same main, dubbed Lucas of Thrace, were to be a devout Orthodox Christian who sees the holiness of women and follows the urgings of the Apostle Paul to educate one’s daughters within the framework of the often misogynist gender binary, he is both problematic and a good man. An eccentric who dotes on his girls. Teaches them to be strong and gifted, while encouraging their studies within their station. Maybe another character sees such actions as a waste, and another does not understand at all, quoting the toxic 1 Timothy call for women’s silence, but they are within the same solar system as historical accuracy.
Caveat: For as historically accurate we can be through the evidence and scholarship we have.
We have to take characters’ nurtured development where it was theoretically at. If we’re writing medieval works, and a wise woman believes not in the four humours, but in microscopic bugs called ‘virae’, and knows to use a certain kind of mould in a precise dose to heal the sick, the author isn’t going on historically appropriate mindsets. While folk in medieval and early renaissance England drank beer and ale instead of water to avoid water-born illnesses, they did not necessarily realize it was the boiling of the must which sterilized the water, and the alcohol which kept it sterile. All they knew was a form of near-magic, a gift from God we now see as Yeast, made beer drinkable in a way water may not be.
A few weeks ago, one of my workshop writers wanted to discuss sensitivity readings in historical fiction. They were concerned about using certain titles for people-groups now seen as offensive, which were of common usage in the 1870’s when her work is based. While we can interpret the past, and have a duty to do so, we also have to be careful to take things “of their time”, so as to not immediately place modern sensibilities upon them. The potential use became a teaching tool to highlight what ought to be said, for those today who may not know. She cleverly used the space in her story to both highlight struggles during the age of Victoria, and to educate.
I see this sense of historical value misplacement in how a lot of feminists deal with corsetry in novels & shows. If a character is seen as the plucky feminist character, off they doff their corsets, they don’t need such things! They’re restrictive garments made by lewd men! A woman can’t breathe with such offensive garments upon their forms, and become dainty mcguffins in need of rescue!
No, actually.
Most historical pairs of bodies, stays, then corsets were quite comfortable. Rarely restricted movement (unless one was tight-lacing as a form of upper class luxury), and had more to do with creating proportion via padding and shape than reducing one’s size. The proportions were what mattered. Underpinnings kept garments on one’s body, and would have looked ‘wrong’ without. A woman in Tudor times, or the early Victorian age could be a stand up, stalwart and brave woman battling injustice and still wear appropriate underwear. Her power is not contingent on the lack of corsetry, for in her time the corset was not seen as a symbol of oppression, nor was it so restrictive as to halt breathing in a time when Tuberculosis was a huge issue, and everyone was acutely aware of the ability to properly breathe.
I’ve constructed and worn pairs of bodies and stays from various eras, and can guarantee you I did fight scenes in them. I breathed just fine, thank you very much, especially with the woman’s natural waist above her belly button and the dresses then had a distribution of weight to make wearing the heavy layers bearable. It’s so easy for us to go with ‘ew I would hate a corset so my heroine is strong and independent and thus doesn’t wear one’, when that’s not the historical fact, and actually demeans femininity in general, by subconsciously deeming ‘feminine’ women as less courageous than those, who seemingly doff such garments. And yes, I love Abby Cox & Nicole Rudolph’s videos, can you tell?
Odds are, a plucky heroine who plays by her own rules will end up slapped down hard in many historical contexts. She may struggle against diversity, the way ale-wives struggled after the task of brewing beer & ale became a male-dominated trade in the 14th & 15th Centuries. If she wears men’s clothing, does ‘everything a man can do but better’ in a place where historically either a woman succeeding in such things was either incredibly privileged or incredibly hidden, the author is not paying close enough attention to the wealth of struggle pre-built into the setting.
And through struggle, we can better acquaint ourselves with the impetus and drive of a story in all its’ complications. So, write the historical context. Investigate the potentially problematic so we don’t lose the lesson involved in its’ passing through our gaze.
For the love of all that’s historically holy, don’t let the medieval main wear uggs!
