Living the Colonial Era

Why are some of us so passionate about historical fiction in general, and for me and many others, specifically historical fiction set during the American colonial, Revolution, and Federalist eras? A couple of weeks ago we touched on the current popularity of these periods on the colonial Christian writers e-mail loop I belong to. In the secular market, the 18th and early 19th centuries in both America and England are gaining a substantial audience. Movies and books by, about, and similar to Jane Austin’s seem to crop up on a very regular basis.

One member of our group felt that the current popularity of this period in American history is due to a desire to get back to the foundations on which this country was built: self-reliance, courage, individualism, independence, and especially godly ideals, values, and principles. I agree with her, and I’d add adventure to the list, which, along with all of the above, is a great draw for me. Americans are nothing if not adventurous. All of us are immigrants, including the native peoples who got here first, and immigrants are by nature adventurers looking for opportunity of one kind or another and the freedom to pursue their individual happiness.

We all tend to have an idealistic view of the past. As we look back, the early period of our nation’s history seems to present an ideal landscape, with heroes who were bigger than life and goals more worthy than those common to our own time. Of course, reality is always more complex than that kind of simplistic view, but it is true that technology has radically changed our culture, and not all for the better. We have sacrificed the intimacy of relationships for the illusion of electronic connections that isolate us. And so we look back on earlier times and long for what we have lost. But in many ways that longing is a good thing because it can lead us to reach back and reclaim what is true and good and of eternal value.

I recently came across a couple of blogs that feed right into my interest in colonial-era history and might be of interest to you as well if you haven’t already discovered them. Carla Glade is a fellow member of the e-mail loop I mentioned, and her blog Writing to Distraction offers a series on dressing a colonial lady that’s extremely informative.

The second is the blog of a New England reenactor, Mary Spencer, An Historical Lady. It’s an absolutely wonderful resource for costuming and other 18th century period-correct information. I could spend hours delving around the blog and its links. What I need is another day in my day . . .

If you’ve discovered a blog or website you especially admire that focuses on the American colonial, Revolutionary, or Federal periods, please share in a comment! I’m always looking for new resources.