On historical accuracy: a short rant

Brought to you by the second part of this wonderful review of C.S. Harris’ Why Kill the Innocent, by Sonomalass (which you should absolutely go read right now, I’ll wait), wherein she says, “So my strongest reaction…was how well the novel shows the need for action on the issue of women’s rights in 19th century Great Britain.” My reply, which started with, “It will never cease to amaze me (negative) when people read passages such as the ones you cite above, and go, ‘Modern sensibilities! Twenty first Century characters plopped onto the past!‘”, soon grew into the rant below–which is why, rather than hijack her comments entirely, I’ve decided to post the rest of it here, below the fold. ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ Sonomalass writes: It’s not uncommon for modern writers to focus on couples who have a more enlightened approach to the role and rights of women than was standard in this period — we’re still more than half a century away from the Married Women’s Property Act, and Mary Wollstonecraft was…