Potato Hatred

Great phrase, no? A shortcut for those of us who love historical fiction and hate the errors that some authors can let into the story.

Example: the medieval lord and his fair lady sitting down in 1253 to a hearty dinner of good old English roast beef with a side of potatoes and gravy.

Gravy I might buy. But the potato, along with a dozen other vegetables and fruits, is a New World import that didn't exist in Europe in 1253.

Ditto the tomato. And corn (American sweet corn, a.k.a. maize). The historical English, if they refer to corn, mean any grain product, particularly wheat. So if you're reading about a 15th century "corn merchant", don't think you've encountered a moment of Potato Hatred -- think wheat merchant instead.

Why do authors do this? I can't speculate on every possible reason, but among them must be haste; laziness; ignorance; and/or bad editing that "corrected" a reference to a veg that was correct for olden times to one more easily recognized by a modern readership.

But I feel as though Potato Hatred can cover almost any anachronism in fiction. My criterion: if it yanks you out of the book, has you scratching your head and thinking, "Whaaa--?" it's a candidate for Potato Hatred.

Thoughts?

North Wales, 953...or Is It?

Buzzing comfortably along on my WIP, PEACEWEAVER. Set in Clywd, North Wales, in 953, when Edgar the Peaceable was King in England...

Or was he?

Thought I had my chronology down pat. You historical fans may know how fusstrating this is. You've read swackloads of material in your chosen era. You KNOW this stuff.

Until you stumble upon a fascinating new history book that you didn't already own, set smack-dab in your era of interest. You buy it, read it with interest, and discover YOU'VE GOT YOUR CHRONOLOGY WRONG!

Aaargh!

It can't BE 953 Wales if Edgar is king in England. It has to be 973. Gacck! I hate when this happens.

However: better in draft than in edit. Can you imagine the agently phone call: "Um, Deb, you know, hon, Edgar didn't ascend the throne 'til 959. You wanna make some tweaks...?"

How embarrassin' to have someone besides ME catch this!

You folks know, but (psssst): don't tell anybody.