By My Halidome! The Use and Overuse of Period Language in Historical Novels

June 29, 2016 · by Kate Gilbert | in Craft, General | tagged archaic language, Baroness Orczy, Hilary Mantel, M.T. Anderson, Mark Twain, narrative voice, period dialogue., Sir Walter Scott | 7 Comments

Gentle reader, prithee tarry thou a moment in mine company, for by my troth, a tale I would fain unfold for thee. List and learn… And there you have it: gadzookery, the intemperate and/or unskillful use of archaic language. If you’re a reader of historical fiction, you’re no doubt familiar with the phenomenon. And if, […]

Hilary Mantel Re-invents the Historical Novel with Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies

April 29, 2015 · by Susan Diffenderfer | in Profiles | tagged Bring Up the Bodies, Fascination with Henry VIII, Henry VIII, Henry VIII and 500th Anniversary of Coronation, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell, Hilary Mantel, Man Booker Prize, Thomas Cromwell and Cardinal Wolsey, Tudor Dynasty, Wolf Hall, Wolf Hall on Broadway, Wolf Hall on PBS | 16 Comments

British writer Hilary Mantel has taken the literary world by storm by writing back to back award- winning novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies, which have not only sold in huge numbers but have been developed into a highly touted PBS series and Broadway stage plays. Although she has been made a Dame of the […]