TheAngryPixie wrote: ↑11 Dec 2023, 18:38The dialogue: Poor, too modern--I get it is difficult to have old-timey dialogue without it sounding like a parody "spiffing chaps! You really a brick! that was a wizard lunch of tongue! etc. But at least make it not modern.
I'd have preferred the dialogue to be of the period too - not liberally peppered with slang, but giving a flavour of the times.
We've recently discussed modern fiction, and how much of it is set in the past (or in a fantasy world) - thereby avoiding the problems of modern technology. That applies to many of the books by current children's authors such as Lesley Parr, Judith Eagle, A. M. Howell, Phil Earle, Natasha Farrant, Hilary McKay, Lucy Strange and Emma Carroll. Having set their books in the past, the characters' dialogue reflects the period. If children are able cope with that in a book, surely they can cope with it in a TV serial or film!
To give an example of the sort of thing I'm talking about, here's an extract from
When the War Came Home by Lesley Parr, set in Wales in the 1920s. It was published by Bloomsbury Children's Books in 2022 and the publishers describe it as being suitable for readers aged about 9 - 11. The main character, a girl named Natty, is in the chip shop, buying cod and chips:
"Duw, now there's a swish coat. New, is it?" she says, using tongs to pick up the cod in batter and plonk it on top of the steaming chips.
"Yes," I say, smoothing my hand over the collar, careful not to touch it with the greasy fingers that picked up the chip. "For my birthday."
"Well you're a lucky dab." She smiles. "How's your mam?"
"Busy," I say, thinking of all the extra hours she's worked to buy this coat.
"I know that feeling!" She grins, nodding at the queue. "Fourpence please, love." She holds out her plump hand. Chippy Gaynor's whole family is plump; you never go hungry if you have a chip shop. "Your poor mam though. Gets his money's worth out of those factory girls, Litton does. Slave driver, he is."
I pay, thank her and rush home, holding the fat, hot packet under my nose, breathing in newspaper and salt and vinegar. Fridays are the best days.
There are things there that may be completely new to a young reader, but so what? Reading is an enriching process and it's good to ponder and learn. A few points:
Many readers outside Wales may not understand the word "Duw", which is Welsh for "God", but they'll realise that it's a Welsh exclamation of sorts. It adds a note of authenticity without it being necessary to know the exact meaning (though it can always be looked up, of course!)
Even at my age I've never come across "Well you're a lucky dab" before, but it seems to mean much the same as "Well you're a lucky thing" and I'm delighted to have learnt a new expression.
Readers who live in areas where "mum" is used will become familiar with the term "mam" (if they haven't encountered it before), adding to their understanding of different dialects.
"Fourpence..." Ah yes - old currency. I've always thought it was a mistake to change the money to decimal currency in Enid Blyton books. Children will readily understand that money hasn't always been the same across the centuries and decades, and may well find it fascinating.
"Chippy Gaynor" - Child readers, especially from outside Wales, may not realise that this naming device is typical of traditional Welsh communities (it might also be used elsewhere - I'm not sure). If they go on to read other books set in Wales, or watch TV programmes, they will realise, and will enjoy making the connection. Even if they don't, they'll appreciate the novelty of "Chippy Gaynor".
"She holds out her plump hand. Chippy Gaynor's whole family is plump..." It's strange to see this when words like "plump" and "fat" have been removed from some traditional children's books (Fatty has survived but his name now refers only to his initials and not to his weight).
"Gets his money's worth out of those factory girls, Litton does. Slave driver, he is." That captures perfectly the phrasing and rhythm of English as spoken in Wales.
"...breathing in newspaper..." If young readers didn't already know, they'll learn that sheets of newspaper were often used for wrapping fish and chips.
As I said, if children can cope with vocabulary and phrasing from the past (and with diverse dialects and unfamiliar references) when reading books, there's no reason why that should be any different when it comes to TV serials and films.
