I apologise unreservedly to anyone who exprienced my Twittervomit yesterday teatime. I loathe spoilers, and stumbled across one for the Doctor Who finale which filled me with mixed, but extreme feelings. It's either the best ever or worst ever news. Without giving away the details, it's a plot I am theoretically in principle of, yet I don't think this is the right time. If they're gonna do it (and they ultimately should), it deserves proper development: why not save it for Mr Smith to get his teeth into? I'm also concerned that the supporting actor they have mooted isn't the right one for the role. If you've read my Twitter, then you'll know that's me putting it mildly - I'm excited, I'm furious, and to sum up, I wish I hadn't come across the spoiler, because it's not worth this turmoil.
The Grand Project is ambling along. My dad has amended team to club - Alpha Club already sounds more English, and it's inspired my thoughts no end. The A-Team are a commando unit who are sent to rob a bank in the last days of the Vietnam war. Unfortunately, while they are away their commanding officer gets killed - and they're caught with the loot. I could translate it straight, but I've been thinking creatively. Commando units didn't exist in the 1800s, so what if it was a literal gentleman's club who were all in the army? What if, under similar circumstances - being sent on a mission that, due to the death of the officer, no one will admit happened - the rest of the club is wiped out. That explains the source of the name adequately for me. Or is the massacre of their buddies already too angsty? I'm very keen for the tone to be as careless as the original. The bank scenario would work, but let's try and be Victorian about this. I'm aware you could be shot for cowardice in this period, so what if the "crime they did not commit" involved them doing something apparently dishonourable? It'd certainly be something to escape from. I'm just bouncing ideas, but already I'm feeling a better Victorian vibe, and there's something nice and Four Feathersly about them regaining their honour.
Today I did the cover of the first issue - all hanging onto a rope ladder for dear life, swooping over the London skyline. The ladder is attached to one of those flying-machines-made-from-a-bike contraptions, but naturally it's a penny farthing bike. It's a bit like the Golden Age of comics - create an eyecatching, exciting cover, and worry about the plot later on. It doesn't matter if it never gets finished. If nothing else, I'm learning things. Today's subject: black Britain. Not a topic I really know anything about, aside from the odd magazine - Guernsey is anything but cosmopolitan. It's important because - well, it's obvious why it's an important thing to know about, but for my purposes as an author it'd bother me to not know how B.A. (played by Mr T) ended up in a Victorian context, which was probably more cosmopolitan than Guernsey, but still closed enough to warrant a little thought.
A little internet research has enlightened me, and surprised me at how diverse Victorian London would have been. Many escaped slaves fought on the side of the British in the American War of Independance, and ended up there once the war had been lost. My dad assures me the Napoleonic navy, travelling all over the globe, was pretty darn diverse. Still more escaped or freed slaves in Britain itself had been established for some 30 years by the period I'm setting my story. Many were servants, most were very poor if not destitute, and yet the population was there - 20,000-40,000 by 1760 estimates this site, so far more by 1860. By the end of the 19th century, there were thriving black communities in most British city centres. I even managed to find proof of a Crimea connection in Mary Seacole, ranked with Florence Nightingale, who was refused a position as a nurse, so travelled down there herself and built a hotel-hospital for injured troops (see: a dedicated Seacole website). She won a Crimean medal, and was voted top of the 100 Greatest Black Britons list. Apparently there's a blue plaque to her in Soho Square - might go looking for it when I get back to London, if the flu hasn't got us by then. In terms of attitudes, it's easy to presume that racism was rife - class-based discrimination too. Read any Victorian English novel in which there are Americans. Proper Brits found the idea of those new-money families hilarious (Oscar Wilde for one)
I haven't decided on anything concrete, but I do now know: the presence of a black character in the Victorian army would be anything but anachronistic. Incidentally, while hunting around black history websites, I found a fantastic archive of magazine scans from 1955. Even if you're not particularly interested in black representation in that particular year, they're adorably kitchy.
Less socially noble, but just as much fun, a little research into gentleman's clubs revealed that some were set up for those in the same branch of the armed forces - exactly what I'm looking for. Possibly my Alpha Club might be invitation only, for people who have performed an exceptional deed in war. Or something. Just idea-bouncing...I was invited to join the University Women's Club on leaving Ladies' College, and still sorely wish I had, purely for the dandyish LOLs of being able to say "I'm dining at the club". Indeed, living at the club is apparently much cheaper than any other London accomodation. There's a library there, and I've always wanted to live on top of a library. May actually look into this...
The Grand Project is ambling along. My dad has amended team to club - Alpha Club already sounds more English, and it's inspired my thoughts no end. The A-Team are a commando unit who are sent to rob a bank in the last days of the Vietnam war. Unfortunately, while they are away their commanding officer gets killed - and they're caught with the loot. I could translate it straight, but I've been thinking creatively. Commando units didn't exist in the 1800s, so what if it was a literal gentleman's club who were all in the army? What if, under similar circumstances - being sent on a mission that, due to the death of the officer, no one will admit happened - the rest of the club is wiped out. That explains the source of the name adequately for me. Or is the massacre of their buddies already too angsty? I'm very keen for the tone to be as careless as the original. The bank scenario would work, but let's try and be Victorian about this. I'm aware you could be shot for cowardice in this period, so what if the "crime they did not commit" involved them doing something apparently dishonourable? It'd certainly be something to escape from. I'm just bouncing ideas, but already I'm feeling a better Victorian vibe, and there's something nice and Four Feathersly about them regaining their honour.
Today I did the cover of the first issue - all hanging onto a rope ladder for dear life, swooping over the London skyline. The ladder is attached to one of those flying-machines-made-from-a-bike contraptions, but naturally it's a penny farthing bike. It's a bit like the Golden Age of comics - create an eyecatching, exciting cover, and worry about the plot later on. It doesn't matter if it never gets finished. If nothing else, I'm learning things. Today's subject: black Britain. Not a topic I really know anything about, aside from the odd magazine - Guernsey is anything but cosmopolitan. It's important because - well, it's obvious why it's an important thing to know about, but for my purposes as an author it'd bother me to not know how B.A. (played by Mr T) ended up in a Victorian context, which was probably more cosmopolitan than Guernsey, but still closed enough to warrant a little thought.
A little internet research has enlightened me, and surprised me at how diverse Victorian London would have been. Many escaped slaves fought on the side of the British in the American War of Independance, and ended up there once the war had been lost. My dad assures me the Napoleonic navy, travelling all over the globe, was pretty darn diverse. Still more escaped or freed slaves in Britain itself had been established for some 30 years by the period I'm setting my story. Many were servants, most were very poor if not destitute, and yet the population was there - 20,000-40,000 by 1760 estimates this site, so far more by 1860. By the end of the 19th century, there were thriving black communities in most British city centres. I even managed to find proof of a Crimea connection in Mary Seacole, ranked with Florence Nightingale, who was refused a position as a nurse, so travelled down there herself and built a hotel-hospital for injured troops (see: a dedicated Seacole website). She won a Crimean medal, and was voted top of the 100 Greatest Black Britons list. Apparently there's a blue plaque to her in Soho Square - might go looking for it when I get back to London, if the flu hasn't got us by then. In terms of attitudes, it's easy to presume that racism was rife - class-based discrimination too. Read any Victorian English novel in which there are Americans. Proper Brits found the idea of those new-money families hilarious (Oscar Wilde for one)
I haven't decided on anything concrete, but I do now know: the presence of a black character in the Victorian army would be anything but anachronistic. Incidentally, while hunting around black history websites, I found a fantastic archive of magazine scans from 1955. Even if you're not particularly interested in black representation in that particular year, they're adorably kitchy.
Less socially noble, but just as much fun, a little research into gentleman's clubs revealed that some were set up for those in the same branch of the armed forces - exactly what I'm looking for. Possibly my Alpha Club might be invitation only, for people who have performed an exceptional deed in war. Or something. Just idea-bouncing...I was invited to join the University Women's Club on leaving Ladies' College, and still sorely wish I had, purely for the dandyish LOLs of being able to say "I'm dining at the club". Indeed, living at the club is apparently much cheaper than any other London accomodation. There's a library there, and I've always wanted to live on top of a library. May actually look into this...
Comments (2)
The Victorians were very class/rank/colour conscious to the extent that it was second nature. The idea of "racism" just wouldn't occur to most of them. Now your Alphas could of course be Liberals who believe in freedom, self-expression etc which overcomes some potential anachronisms if they are all upper class snobs. All do not need to be gentlemen either, or indeed officers. The Alpha Club could in fact be ironic in that it does not really exist (and most people in it would not be invited into any other club anyway). The stalwart NCO, the cunning ranker and the unfashionable Engineering Officer are all visible characters in Zulu. As to the crime, I would suggest "jewels" as a Victorian fixation (see Raffles). Given the mission of rescuing a Russian/ Ottoman/ Indian Prince/Princess/Count etc they are charged with stealing his priceless "jewels". The A-Team were Green Berets, so the A-Club could be ex-Royal Marines, giving them the licence to travel and engage in minor actions without the messiness of big battles.BA then slides nicely in given the polyglot nature of the Navy (and the habit of the navy of 'lashing-up' anything they don't have to hand).
See also Sharpe in India, for the correct way to steal a C19th Indian princess.
Perhaps more usefully, An Ideal Husband is the best study I know in Victorian concepts of honour.