There are historical novels, and then there are fancy dress novels – though these often pass as historical novels. The historical novelist will try to get every detail right. Food, clothing and vocabulary have to be verifiably period. The writer of fancy dress fiction, by contrast, is more concerned with capturing the general vibe of the world they’re aiming to reinhabit. Attitude is everything.
The same holds for historical dramas on TV and film. A recent example of a triumphantly fancy dress movie is Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage. You get the whole pitch from the poster: Vicky Krieps, decked out in 1870s evening wear and white silk gloves, gives us the middle finger as casually as Eminem. It’s anachronistic, but as an expression of Empress Elisabeth of Austria’s kicking against the pricks it couldn’t be bettered. Forget the facts – here’s what was inside, trying to get out.
