(no subject)

[heidi]

This probably isn't the best day to start up a discussion, so I am going to cross-post this on FictionAlley; if you can't comment here, you can post there if you want to.

So, now, a few thoughts on

There's been some discussion on LJs and on FA recently - as well as a long, long time ago - about what makes an anachronism.

Merriam-Webster defines it as an error in chronology; especially : a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other, or a person or a thing that is chronologically out of place.

People have called JKR's mention of Dudley having a playstation an anachronism; it might be, but then, it might not, as they were introduced on a limited scale in the Spring of 1994 in Japan, and were technically available, although at very exorbitant prices. A year later, they were easily available in the UK, though, so she's not really off by too much.

It would be, under that definition, an anachronism for Lily Evans to listen to Britney Spears sing "Hit Me Baby One More Time" - but Britney did not write that song, and the wizarding world is not exactly like our own. If you want to incorporate that song into a story, then why not toss in an offhand explanation that it had been written as a folk song by some random wizard back in 1968 to protest capitalist hegemony? If you're creative, you can explain anything that's outside of place and time - or just incorporate it creatively, like they did in Ella Enchanted (no, Freddie Mercury did not exist in Ella's world, but his song certainly did!). It depends, of course, on the mood of your story - but if you treat something anachronistic like it's natural and an organic element of your universe, like Mutton, Lettuce & Tomato sandwich that Miracle Max seeks in The Princess Bride, it's going to work, at least for those who are willing to get caught up in magic.

I like realistic and well researched fics as much as anyone, though, and when I'm looking to make something realistic, I personally look to see whether it is possible that someone had, did or saw something. Hermione might've been listening to CDs when her letter from Hogwarts arrived; she might've been watching laser discs, although it's not likely as they weren't especially popular except among cinema geeks (I dated one in 1993, which is how I know this timeframe). She was not watching a DVD, and she certainly wasn't watching Titanic. Or Star Wars. But it *is* possible for Harry, two or three years after finishing Hogwarts, to watch Star Wars on a DVD, even though they haven't been released yet; people have illegally burned the films onto DVDs, so it is *technically* possible to watch them now. Bad, illegal, and possible.

When I saw the pics of Hermione in her pink hoodie and rainbow belt, I thought that it showed her lack on interest in current fashions - my gosh, I remember when those *were* fashionable.

In 1981.

So it's, again, not anachronistic, because pink hoodies did exist in 1994, but it might not send the exact message you want to make. Or you may just be Alfonso Cuaron, and setting your story, because of some insane decision by Chris Columbus, in 2003 instead of 1994. And then we'll all just say "whatever*.

Now, what do you think? What makes something anachronistic to you? Is it implausibility in the Muggle world? Is it impossibility in the Muggle world, combined with an absence of an explanation as to how it is possible in the Wizarding world?

What is it? And what do you do about it?

Comments

[verstehen.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. Well, all of those things and more. If it's blatant enough that I know it's incorrect, well, it's going to bother me. Little details bother me. The fact that Hermione's hoodie was obviously from the 2003 clothing line bothered me. The fact that Harry has clothing that fits perfectly -- let alone NICE clothing -- bothered me. A lot. Ron's hems weren't frayed, he had no patches, his clothes fit just as well as Harry did. This all bothered me.

So, maybe it's that I'm anal-retentive, but that throws me out of the story. Those little things are character markers. Hand-me-downs are never brand new. Hand-me-downs often don't fit quite right. Etc.

I enjoy how Rowling herself does it. The playstation was a little thing, mentioned once and never again. It doesn't matter. I like how writers like Pratchett "reinvent" the anachronisms. This sort of thing makes me a conspirator in the act rather than making me an knowledgeable outsider. It pulls me in, rather than pushing me out as I think "Well, that's not right, it doesn't work like that in ANY sense of time or logic!"

[cleverthylacine]

How is Hermione's hoodie '2003'? We wore hoodies like that when I was a kid in the 1970s. All colours that sweatshirts came in. Yellow, white, grey, blue, pink, navy, black...I've never understood the fuss about Teh H00die.

[ex-ajhalluk585.livejournal.com]

I had a green one that never recovered from being capsized into windermere in in 1978

[verstehen.livejournal.com]

Not even the hoodie, all of her clothing was stuff that'd you'd find easily now, rather than stuff I remember wearing when I was thirteen back in 1993. Actually, all of the clothing was pretty anachronistic.