History and Diction

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I've been reading through a lot of Regencies in my TBR lately, and one thing I notice frequently is the diction. I go back and forth a lot on the issue of historical diction.



To me, diction is the base layer of historical fiction. It's the foundation, or perhaps the foundation garment (heh). If the diction is right, or sounds like it's right, the reader is more likely to trust in the "reality" of what she's reading. And isn't that one of the main goals of fiction? For me, it is.

But...