tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025295042007800999.post3684819992990376773..comments2023-10-19T22:33:59.885-07:00Comments on Historical Fiction Research: When the experts get it wrongTinney Heathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18383946402836289511noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025295042007800999.post-14433377090125733322013-07-05T18:10:08.471-07:002013-07-05T18:10:08.471-07:00This can also happen in a more general way. Most ...This can also happen in a more general way. Most medieval history book written in the first two thirds of the 20th century, even those written by experts of their time, are now generally considered by current university historians to be more wrong than right, I had seen the torture equipment display at the Tower of London a long time ago, and came back later to find it closed. At the time, I thought that the violence suggested by it was now seemed inapprpriate. A histoy professor told me, no, it was deemed mostly bad guesswork on the use of the equipment displayed. Some was obviously wrong when I saw it the first time. Other items...who would know?Emmalynhttp://home.earthlink.net/~wyvernsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025295042007800999.post-57948536212103807662013-07-04T05:59:12.947-07:002013-07-04T05:59:12.947-07:00Shauna - I see what you mean; that could be very f...Shauna - I see what you mean; that could be very frustrating. And I suspect it happens a lot. Thanks for providing a good example.<br /><br />Julia - I know you're right, and I should be more patient (never one of my virtues, I fear). It's one reason I'm not a good teacher. Still, readers do have some responsibility to practice critical thinking. Writers can't cover everything for everyone - we'd never accomplish anything new if we tried to. I guess it's always a matter of finding a balance.Tinney Heathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18383946402836289511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025295042007800999.post-41639342217252982602013-07-03T23:24:55.117-07:002013-07-03T23:24:55.117-07:00Alas, I have no great tales of finding experts wro...Alas, I have no great tales of finding experts wrong, but I will say a little something in defense of those who State The Obvious. I have discovered that Readers can often be less astute than one might have imagined (or hoped). So it's a kind of CYA (blanket your burro) to put obvious things like that in, even though the writer might not really want to, all things considered.Julia H. Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16203735853394408088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025295042007800999.post-67992559783086829182013-07-03T10:45:15.242-07:002013-07-03T10:45:15.242-07:00I was at the citadel of Blaye in France a few week...I was at the citadel of Blaye in France a few weeks ago. Inside the citadel are the ruins of a castle, one of several things that sat on the site before the citadel was built. I was interested in the long history of use of this site, so I collected the tourist brochure and bought two books at the museum. <br /><br />The date of construction of the castle varied among the three sources, as did the date of destruction and the cause of destruction. <br /><br />Luckily, I was not planning to write a story set in the Middle Ages at the castle because I would have needed to go back to original sources and learned Old French to find out the truth.Shauna Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03871768714926149114noreply@blogger.com