‘Archaic yet accessible’
Those were the words Steven Pressfield used to describe the dialogue in his latest historical fiction novel.
For me that makes total sense.
It threads the needle and strikes the balance perfectly.
As an author you want historical accuracy and attention to detail in your story but you also need to consider the modern reader.
If you wanted to be truly authentic you would have all the characters speak in Latin or ancient Greek. Or even write the entire novel in those languages!
But I’d say you could count the world’s population of those fluent in Ancient Greek on one hand.
So empathy comes into play and the reader can enjoy getting lost in another time without being overly confused.
‘Archaic yet accessible’
Thomas Duggan 