#I'd even hesitate to call SP political fantasy because the politics are more or less just an excuse for the cast to try to murder each othe | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

bonaesperanza · 9 months ago

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I just read a review of Ellen Kushner's Swordspoint that calls it "a precursor to mannerpunk", and I am honestly baffled. I guess we are calling anything with a semi-realistic depiction of historical social norms mannerpunk now, huh. It also compared it to Austen, which I also found deeply baffling. Is... is there an Austen novel that I missed that consists almost exclusively of sword fights, political intrigue and the everyday life of a committed feral gay couple living in the slums?

#as someone who strongly dislikes mannerpunk and is lukewarm on Austen #but loves Swordspoint #and loves swashbucklers in general #...it's a swashbuckler? a very dyed-in-the-wool swashbuckler?#are the Three Musketeers mannerpunk now too?#like yes there are people minding their manners and entertaining their friends but that's because... that's how the aristocracy lived?#it's not the centerpiece of the plot or the draw of the novel in any way #an Agatha Christie novel is not mannerpunk because it features a dinner party at a manor - the dinner party is the setpiece for the murder #not the main draw of the book #I'd even hesitate to call SP political fantasy because the politics are more or less just an excuse for the cast to try to murder each othe #wtf #words no longer mean things

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