I saw a buttload of medical crap today
Jun. 13th, 2012 06:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chocolatepotI have to wonder what was wrong with all the past curators who just took in any old tat someone threw at them. SO MANY CLAMPS. SO MANY SPECULA. SO MANY FORCEPS. SO MANY SCALPELS.
I'm going to come back later with all the bookmarked quotes from Mme Campan that made me sit up and go "oh!" but for now I just have to say that
1) This is probably the best book I've ever read on the lead-up to the French Revolution. I think it's because it's more personal, and maybe because it's got a more social bent - more episodes of crazy crap that happened to Marie Antoinette to slander her, more social background on what led to various situations. Highly recommend it.
2) At some point in the past couple of years, I was reading something or other about Marie Antoinette and I had this idea for a pseudo-historical novel set in a similar situation, with the heroine as a minor lady at court who an anti-queen faction tries to use. At some other point I had an idea for a story that was more on-the-ground, so to speak, with an aristocratic heroine that got unwillingly mixed up in intrigue and had to hide out with a group of revolutionaries that want a republic but without killing lots of people. I wrote several chapters of the latter, but because the opening was so fast-paced - her getting out of prison when she's about to be poisoned - I stalled out; I couldn't think what action! would happen next. But then it occurred to me while I was eating lunch that OMG I could combine the two and have the book start at court and work its way up to revolutionary hijinks. Which would also give me time to set up the whole missing-prince-falsely-accused-of-murder bit, instead of bringing it up when she figures out who the guy is. I feel so stupid.
I'm going to come back later with all the bookmarked quotes from Mme Campan that made me sit up and go "oh!" but for now I just have to say that
1) This is probably the best book I've ever read on the lead-up to the French Revolution. I think it's because it's more personal, and maybe because it's got a more social bent - more episodes of crazy crap that happened to Marie Antoinette to slander her, more social background on what led to various situations. Highly recommend it.
2) At some point in the past couple of years, I was reading something or other about Marie Antoinette and I had this idea for a pseudo-historical novel set in a similar situation, with the heroine as a minor lady at court who an anti-queen faction tries to use. At some other point I had an idea for a story that was more on-the-ground, so to speak, with an aristocratic heroine that got unwillingly mixed up in intrigue and had to hide out with a group of revolutionaries that want a republic but without killing lots of people. I wrote several chapters of the latter, but because the opening was so fast-paced - her getting out of prison when she's about to be poisoned - I stalled out; I couldn't think what action! would happen next. But then it occurred to me while I was eating lunch that OMG I could combine the two and have the book start at court and work its way up to revolutionary hijinks. Which would also give me time to set up the whole missing-prince-falsely-accused-of-murder bit, instead of bringing it up when she figures out who the guy is. I feel so stupid.
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Date: 2012-06-14 02:56 am (UTC)(Also, buttload of medical crap: tee-hee.)
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Date: 2012-06-14 11:01 am (UTC)(Pun was totally intended, I found several things meant for the butt yesterday.)