In case you don't know, queer is a word that means strange, odd, unusual, and not only the meaning everyone other than me seems to think of when he sees it.
At any rate, I'm sure if folks from a few centuries ago could see the historical fiction presumably set in their times that's written now, those folks would say something to my title's effect. Historical fiction is general stories set at some point in the past.
Yep, it's that simple.
Here's where it gets tricky: as for any work, the writer is responsible for the accuracy of the history in his historical fiction. That means events, culture, even word choices should be accurate to what would have been used in that day.
Writers usually use modern grammar and word structure, but they have to watch the etymologies of the words they use. If a verb didn't exist at the point when the novel is set, they have to both notice that and track down another one to replace it.
Exceptions come depending on what type of historical fiction you're writing. A comedy, for example, could use modern allusions and idioms (phrases like "break a leg" that has a meaning that's different from the literal one). The movie A Knight's Tale was hilarious, as far as I recall.
But in general, you're responsible for keeping it all accurate and proper. And believe me, if you get a detail wrong, people will notice.
The people who read historical fiction tend to be history buffs, after all.
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