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Discuss the latest article by @Youngmarshall here
So we have three different definitions of alternate history:
What we on this site write about
Romances that aren't historically accurate, and
Conspiracy theories ("alternative history").
So we have three different definitions of alternate history:
What we on this site write about
Romances that aren't historically accurate, and
Conspiracy theories ("alternative history").
I think that one of the things which makes alternate history difficult to categorise is that it can be both a setting and a genre.Well, putting aside conspiracy theories and the like, this review does rather feed into my theory that AH is less a genre than an ur-genre at best, or a setting at worst.
I think you mean steamypunk.So here's one alternate history romance, and Skinny's got one, and SLP itself has published at least three I've read where romantic entanglements drive the plot (Darling Buds Express, Bring Me My Bow, Who Will Speak For England) - I wonder how many there are?
Clarification: outside of steampunk.
If you're interested in romantic AH (and proper AH at that) I do have at least one recommendation I can maķe
I absolutely am. Please share.
AH as a setting also speaks to a wider audience - without wishing to stereotype (after all, @Youngmarshall was able to cover this one because he reads romance) this kind of AH might do something for our gender balance as an institution.I'm also among those who think that there is (obviously with exceptions and tricky cases) a pretty clear distinction between "Alternate history as a setting" and "alternate history as a genre".
The former is a lot more flexible. As I've said before, you could theoretically argue that any fiction that isn't aiming to be an accurate reenactment of actual history is "AH as a setting". The latter has the issue in that the alternate history itself has to be engaging (I'm not using the term "plausible" cause that has issues) because it's the centerpiece of the story, while in "AH as a setting", it's simply the backdrop.
this kind of AH might do something for our gender balance as an institution.
Also, I'm going to be a pedant here and point out that clean, well-groomed Vikings are not ahistorical. The Vikings were actually the pretty boys of Europe, and one chronicler even complained that the Viking's bathing and grooming habits made them irresistible to English women.