Why Read Historical Fiction Set in Sixteenth Century France? 10 Reasons

In these turbulent times, as society reels from pandemic, natural disasters, and political turmoil, one might reasonably ask: "Why read historical fiction? And why, in particular, historical fiction set in sixteenth century France?" The companion question--why write it?--is one I've been contemplating as the world goes up in flames around me (I live in California, so that is not a figure of speech!). Over a series of posts, I will offer ten reasons why historical fiction set in Renaissance France is worth reading, not only for its entertainment value, but for the light it sheds on issues that continue to challenge society today.

Reason #1: ESCAPE

Reading has always been a way to escape the stresses and tension of daily life, and during the coronavirus lockdowns, people have turned to literature for a reprieve. After an initial dip, book sales are climbing steadily, with e-book sales particularly strong. Whether to distract themselves from their troubles or to enliven the boredom of being cooped up for months on end, quarantined readers are reaching for books more often than ever. Novels set in Renaissance France offer readers ample opportunity to escape the excruciating sameness of days in twenty-first century lockdown.

Do your eyes ache from staring at a computer screen for work or school? Watch journeymen printers pull pages on a Lyonnais printing press instead.

Need some exercise? Gallop through the forest as you hunt with the king.

Photo credit: Andy_Casrol

Tired of retracing the same path through your tiny apartment? Dance a galliard in the ballroom of a sumptuous château. (Be careful not to trip as you stare up at the gorgeous ceiling!) 

Photo credit: Zairon

An engaging novel set in a long ago era has the power to remove you from your present situation for a time, providing a refuge where you can soothe your mind and regain your balance. When everyday life becomes particularly stressful, historical fiction has a distinct advantage over contemporary fiction, for it does not simply translate lived difficulties directly onto the page. Instead of reinforcing and intensifying the malaise of all-to-familiar situations, historical fiction affords a larger perspective against which current circumstances can be better judged and more easily borne.

Even as it distracts and entertains, historical fiction reminds us of a certain truth, one that brings a good measure of comfort: no matter how bad things got in the past, when plague, famine, war, and poverty had consequences far more dire than they do today, societies not only survived, but eventually prospered. Reading a historical novel interrupts the constant stream of breaking news that bombards us with catastrophe to remind us that, in all likelihood, things will turn out fine in the end. 

And if we can laugh and dream and fall in love with a handsome prince along the way, all the better.

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Not yet convinced of the worth of Renaissance historical fiction? Be sure to return for Reason #2.

Images of Early Modern Life

It's About Time is a wonderful art history blog that clusters images and essays around social, cultural, and academic themes. The author often features posts on sixteenth century themes (Women--Reading and publishing books, Fashion--Furs for warmth, Families, Marketing and cooking, among others) as well as about specific women (Catherine de Medici, Elenora di Toledo). A recent post explored the Renaissance fashion of sporting zibellini, animal pelts with jeweled heads! The site is marvelous for the quality and quantity of the works reproduced. Start to browse and you'll quickly lose track of time.

Book Sale Treasures

Livres en vente par Peter Griffin

Our local library hosted its Spring Book Sale this weekend, and as dues-paying "Friends" we were able to attend the members-only opening night. What a haul, and all for under $30!

Fiction
ARTEMESIA by Alexandra Lapierre
CATHEDRAL OF THE SEA by Ildefonso Falcones
CITY OF GLORY by Bevery Swerling
DEUX LO VOLT! Chronicle of the Crusades by Evan S. Connell
KATHRYN by Anya Seton
THE MEMORY KEEPER'S DAUGHTER by Kim Edwards
QUEEN'S OWN FOOL: A Novel of Mary Queen of Scots by Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris
THE ROSE OF SEBASTOPOL by Katherine McMahon
SACRED HUNGER by Barry Unsworth
THE SEAMSTRESS by Frances De Pontes Peebles
SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN by Lisa See
UNICORN'S BLOOD by Patricia Finney
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sara Gruen

Nonfiction:
CATHERINE OF ARAGON by Garrett Mattingly
ON WRITING by Stephen King
MONTAILLOU: The Promised Land of Error by LeRoy Ladurie
NORA: The Real Life of Molly Bloom by Brenda Maddox
READING LOLITA IN TEHERAN by Azar Nafisi
ST. PATRICK OF IRELAND: A Biography by Philip Freeman
TREASURES OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS by Charles A. Goodrum
WHAT JANE AUSTEN ATE AND CHARLES DICKEN KNEW: From Fox Hunting to Whist--the Facts of Daily Life in 19th-Century England by Daniel Pool

I'm sure I could have found more, but considering that I haven't even read all the books I bought at the last couple of sales, I considered it wise to stop. Haven't run out of shelf-space yet, but coming close. Any recommendations on which book I should tackle first?

(And despite my elation at snagging such great titles, I do feel guilty about buying used books and cheating the authors out of their royalties. I figure posting good reviews of their work might make up for it. Guess I'd better get busy reading.)

Booksale Bonanza

I'm such a book geek. Here I am all excited about the great haul I made yesterday at our local library used book sale. For $16, the price of one new trade paperback, I bought the following books, all hardcovers but two:

The Secret Book of Grazia dei Rossi by Jacqueline Park 

[I've read this before and liked it and since it's set in the 16th century, I wanted to own a copy.]

Depths of Glory: A Biographical Novel of Camille Pissarro by Irving Stone

Those Who Love: A Biographical Novel of Abigail and John Adams by Irving Stone

[I read The Agony and the Ecstasy as a teenager and loved it, so I thought I'd try more Stone. Plus, I've always wanted to know more about Pissaro.]

Somewhere in France by John Rolfe Gardiner 

The Rossetti Letter by Christi Phillips

Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik 

[Always wanted to read this memoir.]

Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier

[Cold Mountain is one of my favorites, so I'm looking forward to this one, although I hear it's quite different.]

Vivaldi's Virgins by Barbara Quick

Shadow of the Moon by M.M. Kaye

[Read this in high school, but I think it's worth a re-read.]

A Song of Sixpence by A.J. Cronin

[Have never read any Cronin before.]

The Fool's Tale by Nicole Galland

The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason

[This is one of my favorite books, but I didn't have my own copy.]

Prince of Foxes by Samuel Shellabarger

[Members of Historical Fiction Online always mention Shellabarger, so I thought I'd try one! This one has a lurid 1970's cover.]

Plainsong by Kent Haruf

Paint It Black by Janet Fitch

[I loved White Oleander. Janet Fitch is an instructor at the Squaw Valley Writer Community of Writers, which I've attended twice, and I've always found her talks to be inspiring and full of practical advice.]

So, while I feel slightly guilty to have bought all these books used and thus cheated the authors of royalties, I'm excited about my finds. I realized while I was skimming the spines on the display tables why it is I write--I want someone to feel the same thrill on finding my book that I feel when I find a book I've been wanting to read! It's not the fame, not the money (good thing!), but the thought that I could bring a few hours of enjoyment to someone by doing something I love to do. I want someone to rush home someday with my book in her hands: "Look, I found the latest Julianne Douglas!" (And, shhhh, don't tell my agent, but I won't even mind not getting the royalties for it. *smile*)

Now, someone please tell me when I'm going to find the time to READ all these books, never mind where I'm going to put them!

Still Life with Books

Yes, I'm still alive. Between family visits, sick children, and overflowing laundry baskets, I've not had much time to blog. To jumpstart things, I'm borrowing this reading meme from Lucy at Lucy Pick Books.

Do you remember how you developed a love for reading?

I can't remember learning to read--it seems like I always have! One of my first reading memories is buying easy readers at the grocery store when I was about five years old. My mom would take me and my brothers to the store, and if we were good, she would buy us a book at the end of the visit. I still can picture one week's prize: Barney the Beagle, a salmon pink and white hardback I think is still floating around my parents' house somewhere. I loved that book, especially because it was hardback. We always had piles of books around our house; I always read voraciously. One of my favorite memories is going through the monthly Scholastic book flyer and picking out books to order.

What are some of the books you read as a child?

I'll always remember a book a read in fifth or sixth grade--it was the story of two friends who wrote a book together, passing a notebook back and forth each night for the other to add the next installment. I think it was this book that inspired me to be a writer. I would love to read it again, but unfortunately I've forgotten the title and author. If anyone can identify the book for me, I'll love you forever! As a young girl I read all the Little House on the Prairie books and biographies about famous women like Florence Nightingale and Molly Pitcher. One of my favorite books was Elizabeth Speare's The Witch of Blackbird Pond. As a teen, I read Gone With the Wind umpteen times and all of Victoria Holt's books.

What is your favorite genre?

My favorite genre is historical fiction, although I read contemporary fiction as well. I have high standards for books and have no qualms at all about putting down a book that loses my interest or is poorly written.

Do you have a favorite novel?

My favorite novels are Sigrid Undsett's Kristin Lavransdattir trilogy, Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, and George Elliot's Middlemarch.

Where do you usually read?

I read wherever and whenever I can, although I find I can't read in bed anymore--I fall asleep too easily!

Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at the same time?

I don't have any trouble reading a couple of books at the same time. I usually have one or two novels going, as well as a few research books.

Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction?

The only nonfiction I read is research books for my novels and an occasional parenting or spiritual book. Since the books are for research, I skip around and read only the relevant parts, taking notes as I go. When I read fiction, I never skip anything or jump ahead.

Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library?

I buy very few books, although I would buy many more if I could afford to. I joke that our family keeps the local library in business. We often have 50 books and movies checked out on my card at a time.

Do you keep most of the books you buy? If not, what do you do with them?

I always keep all the books I buy, since I only buy books that are especially meaningful. Even with my small book budget, our house is running out of shelf space. We always hit the library book sales, where we can buy hardbacks for $1. We often wind up bringing in cartons full of them.

If you have children, what are some of the favourite books you have shared with them? Were they some of the same ones you read as a child?

My daughter never liked to read too much--I'd buy her my favorites and they'd sit on the shelf unread. My middle son and I spent many hours reading together. One of our favorites was The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, along with Silverstein's books of verse. I read a lot to my toddler, although I must admit I'm getting quite sick of books about trucks and trains.

What are you reading now?

Right now I'm reading After This by Alice McDermott and The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai.

Do you keep a TBR (to be read) list?

I have a lengthy list, as well as several piles of books in my bedroom bookcase.

What's next?

I'm eagerly awaiting Michelle Moran's The Heretic Queen, which comes out in September.

What books would you like to reread?

I don't reread many books--there are so many books I haven't read, I hate to devote the time to revisiting ones I've already seen. I have started reading Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles again--I enjoyed them so much the first time, and they are rich enough to sustain a second reading. I suppose I would reread The Lord of the Rings if I had time, or some of the Thomas Hardy novels I read in college.

Who are your favourite authors?

My favorite authors are Sigrid Undsett, Dorothy Dunnett, George Elliot, and Elizabeth Speare. I know there are more, but I always blank whenever anyone asks me this question. My LibraryThing display to the right of this blog shows many of my favorite authors.

I'd love to read your answers to these questions. Let me know in the comments if you do the meme on your blog.

Do Not Disturb

I just read an excellent interview with Farrar, Straus, and Giroux editor Pat Strachan in the Poets & Writers March/April issue. (You can read the interview online here.) In the interview, Ms. Strachan was asked what she thought about the state of books in this country. Here is her response:

“[I] certainly don’t think books are going to go away. The object itself it too essential. The idea of having your privacy is too wonderful. A book signals to other people to stay away. I’m in my private zone right now. I think that’s why so many women who are over-stressed read.”

I found this answer fascinating, for I’ve never associated reading with the idea of privacy, and I think it’s spot-on. We are all familiar with the idea of reading as escape—escape from problems and stress, escape from the dullness of everyday life, escape from the limits our location in time and space. We know what we are escaping from when we read—yet what, exactly, are we escaping to?

I think Ms. Strachan nailed it—we are seeking space to be with ourselves, to examine and expand the range of our thoughts without the danger of interference or interruption. In a true sense, reading is a conversation with ourselves, a conversation mediated through the voice and words of the author but one whose ultimate goal is self-knowledge.

Okay, you’re thinking, here she goes waxing philosophical on us again. [s] But think about it. Comprehending the words the author set on the page in a specific arrangement is exciting in itself, yet it is our engagement with these words and ideas they express that is the truly exhilarating part. What do we think about what the author says? How do these words make us feel? Does our reaction to them teach us something new about ourselves? Do we alter our perception of the world as a result of encountering them? As we read, we are engaged—privately—in such a dialectic, even if we never realize it on a conscious level.

I think this might be one reason why it is often so difficult to explain to someone else why we love a certain book. The experience of reading a book that touches us to the core is an intensely private affair, an experience that can be next to impossible to put into words someone else will understand. We usually resort to saying, “Read it and see for yourself.”

It’s interesting from a historical point of view how reading has become such a private activity in the modern world, for it wasn’t always so. In the days of limited literacy, reading was usually a public affair—a teacher or priest or master would read aloud to the women, children, servants. Instead of an open book being a sign for people to stay away, it was an invitation to gather, to join together on a journey into the new. It is interesting to consider prohibitions against women reading (and writing—more on that in another post) in light of the inherent danger of being alone with one’s thoughts, of watching them change and follow new paths. From authority’s point of view, it is far safer for minors to be read to, so the reader can direct and guide their thoughts into safe, controllable channels.

Any thoughts?