The Outlandish Companion - Diana Gabaldon [7]
And that leads us in turn to a consideration of just what’s going on in these books. Once I realized that I really was a writer, and that I had not one, but a series of books, I had two main intentions.
One was a desire to follow the great social changes of the eighteenth century. This was a time of huge political and social upheaval that saw the transition of the Western world from the last remnants of feudalism into the modern age, in terms of everything from politics and science to art and social custom. The tide of history was changing, flowing from the Old World to the New, borne on the waves of war, and what better way to look at this than through the eyes of a time-traveler?
Now, this is great stuff for the background of a novel, to be sure, but the fact is that good novels are about people. A book that doesn’t have an absorbing personal story in the foreground may be good history, or have good ideas—but it won’t be good fiction. So what about the personal angle of this story?
The first book was originally marketed as a historical romance because, although the book didn’t fit neatly into any genre (and at the same time was certainly not “literary fiction”), of all the markets that it might conceivably appeal to, romance was by far the biggest. However …
Other considerations aside, romance novels are courtship stories. They deal with the forming of a bond between a couple, and once that bond is formed, by marriage and sexual congress (in that order, we hope)—well, the story’s over. That was never what I had in mind.
I didn’t want to tell the story of what makes two people come together, although that’s a theme of great power and universality. I wanted to find out what it takes for two people to stay together for fifty years—or more. I wanted to tell not the story of a courtship, but the story of a marriage.
Now, to handle adequately themes like the Age of Enlightenment, the fall of monarchy, and the nature of love and marriage, one requires a certain amount of room. One also requires rather a complex story. People now and then say to me, “But aren’t you getting tired of writing about the same old characters?” I certainly would be, if these were the same old characters—but they’re not. They grow, and they change. They get older, and their lives become more complex. They develop new depths and facets. While they do—I hope—remain true to their basic personalities, I have to rediscover them with each new book.
And that leads to another question I’m often asked: What is it that people find interesting about the books? For a long time, I replied (honestly), “Beats me,” but after years of getting letters and E-mail, I now have some idea of the things readers say they like.
Many of them enjoy the sense of “being there”; the vicarious experience of another place and time. Many like the historical aspects of the books; they enjoy (they say) “learning something” while being entertained. Many like the sense of connection, of rediscovering their own heritage. A good many enjoy the curious details: the botanical medicine, the medical procedures, the how and why of daily life in another time. But by far the most common element that people enjoy in the books is simply the characters—readers care for these people, are interested in them, and want to know more about them.
So, this companion is intended for the readers: a quick reference for those who don’t necessarily want to reread a million and a half words in order to refresh their memories as to Who or What; a source of information and (maybe) insight on the characters, a companion for those with an interest in backgrounds and trivia; an auxiliary guide for those with an interest in the eighteenth century and Things Scottish, and finally—a brief glimpse into the