Historical Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 39

[cahn]

Last post, along with the usual 18th-century suspects, included the Ottonians; changing ideas of conception and women's sexual pleasure; Isabella of Parma (the one who fell in love, and vice versa, with her husband's sister); Henry IV and Bertha (and Henry's second wife divorcing him for "unspeakable sexual acts"). (Okay, Isabella of Parma was 18th century.)

Comments

Re: News from the Middle Ages

[cahn]

Of the many ways you could possibly characterize tough-as-nails-Adelheid and her life, the author chose to... make her a swooning damsel and let her fall in obsessive forbidden love with, drumroll, Otto the Great's troublesome younger brother Henry.

WHAT
WHY

Re: News from the Middle Ages

[selenak]

So say we all. It's the characterisation equivalent of telling young MT's story in a way that doesn't have her square off with Fritz and several other European powers after her ascension to the throne but being secretly in love with her brother-in-law Charles of Lorraine and angsting about that none stop.

Re: News from the Middle Ages

[mildred_of_midgard]

The rare example of a fanfic proposed in salon that we *don't* immediately want to read!