This week I have written a blog at www.coffeetimeromance.com
You might like to pop over and take a look at it. What I was blogging about, coinciding with the release of my latest Medieval Romance, was how different the men I write about have to be.
That might seem an odd premise but really it is all about genre. A medieval man would be very different in his attitude to a man in the 2lst century. Way different!
For instance he would not consider marrying for love to be the main object in finding a wife. Property, money, connections, these were paramount. There isn't much evidence of how a woman would feel about it, but the Paston Letters, a book of letter by people living in the l400's is a mine of information. Especially when the daughter of the house wishes to marry the Steward. You only have to see the film Shakespeare in Love to see how this was carried on even in the Elizabethan age, when the country was run by a powerful woman! There is no way Viola can marry Shakespeare, she has to go through with the marriage that has been arranged. This of course means that attitudes were very different. This is what I was trying to get across.
Writing across three genres I have to be careful not to make my Medieval man too gentle, or my modern man too tough! Not that gentlness and love don't feature, oh yes they do...after all my primary goal is romance but personality has to be different, as are ways of seeing.
Do I like my medieval man? Yes...eventually!
5 comments:
I love it that you're able to keep the men's attributes so compartmentalized, Margaret. It is a rare talent to be able to do that, I think. I know I'd have my Medieval man behaving inappropriately! *G*
I cannot wait to read this book. I love the cover, too!
Hope you are having a good week! Big hugs!
It's a great book!
Hi Margaret
I agree that money, power, land etc were paramount in the Middle Ages, but your post made me wonder if this just applied to the rich and powerful of the time, or whether there were similar pressures on the 'ordinary' people to marry for some gain rather than for love.
Interesting to ponder! :-)
You really have to do your homework to be able to reflect the vast differences in hero types, depending on the time your story takes place. Probably one reason I wouldn't do well writing a historical romance...I hate homework!
Good post Margaret.
Thanks for the response. Pauline, I think the poor folk married who they liked. I should think if they were the same religion then that would be the only criteria. If there is no money, or land to pass on why should it matter. But evidence on the poor is hard to come by. What else is new??
Tory, I like the homework but I do get carried away into other areas, so have to try to be disciplined.
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