Some Thoughts on Historical Fiction

Spanking has pretty much disappeared from the regular domestic scene during my lifetime. That's why it's so natural to set spanking fiction in the past, or near-past. Yes, we set our stories in the past, but seldom do they have true historical events and we rarely populate them with real historical characters.

So why don't we see more historical fiction in the spanking genre when almost any historical character might well have truly lived with spanking in his/her home, childhood and school?

There was a time when I shunned historical fiction. To me, it always seemed dangerous because it's hard for the reader to tell where the history stops and the fiction starts. It's all too easy for fictional accounts to become so popularized that they are mistaken for history. In one famous example that many of us will recognize, a six-year-old George Washington never really did chop down his parent's cherry tree!

Anyhow, over the years I have warmed up to historical fiction both in my regular reading and and my spanko reading. While it is true that fictional accounts can "pollute" the historical record, properly framed historical fiction can also prod readers into looking up what "really" happened. That way, they discover bits of history that they never would otherwise have learned.

I am proud of the couple of stories I have here that I would dignify with the label "historical fiction".

Again, why don't we have more historical fiction in the spanko genre?

Does anyone have any story ideas they wish to offer?

If any of you authors would like to plug your historical fiction stories, I would be interested in checking them out.

we ha a whole challenge about that recently. I had an entry called Whisky Tango Foxtrot which is set in 1880. or is it? I also have one called Pelagius which is set in early 4th century Egypt

And I have one called The Conquest (under Margaret Jane). It's about William the Conqueror's 'wooing' of his wife Matilda. There is evidence in the historical record that Matilda did indeed reject his proposal, there was a physical incident of some sort between them and she changed her mind. I put my own interpretation on this - needless to say it chimes with my own proclivities!
I think there is a wealth of potential in historical situations and may even get back to some of them myself when time permits.

Ah, but isn't that actually quite fun? Those who've browsed the history sections of the 'World Corporal Punishment Research' website (www.corpun.com) may have enjoyed the extra thrill of reading about real spankings as they happened in the real world.
And to plug ...
'The Texas Prison Paddling Scandal' mostly poses as an article from History Now magazine. Several readers commented that they weren't sure if it was fact or fiction and that they'd checked some of the names online.
'Adventuress in the Underworld' is also presented as pure history.

You might enjoy my story 'Roman Justice', set around the 1st century AD during the Roman occupation of Britain. Apart from Rachel's 4th BC Egyptian tale possibly the earliest-set story in the Library, though apologies to anyone else with a better claim.

Others - later, but still period: 'The Pirate's Bride', 'First Class Training', 'Tutoring Miss Lillian', 'Frank & I' and 'The 'Secret Portrait'. Plus, of course, my pastiches of Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, Oscar Wilde, etc.

Hope you like them!

I'll take the opportunity to remind people of Iconoclast's "The Red-Assed Baboon" from the latest challenge. It is set very precisely at 1648 B.C. (and an excellent story it is). From an earlier challenge, I remember two stories set in the Garden of Eden, but that may not count as historical fiction?

I also have a story set in the Garden of Eden (The story of Lillith). I'm not sure if that counts as historical, given that many people view it as a Creation myth rather than a factual account.

My problem with most historical floggings were that they were just that-brutal floggings by sadists.
Not the kind of story I like, which is quasi consensual or relatively mild judicial whackings.
Of course one can set these in Victorian times when Mrs Berekley's horse was infamous, but in reality most female recipients would be children, prostitutes or servants and I for one am not much interested in those type of stories as most are abusive.Also Society was so class defined until post WW1 very few would have been consensual.

Heloise and Abelard? And can they have been so atypical?

You might enjoy my story "The Magistrate" - but it is less historical fiction and more moulded off of the faux Victorian porn I grew up with.