10 thoughts on “SNARK WEEK: ‘Sup bro, have you watched Dickinson (2019-2021)?

  1. I don’t think I’d mind the modern slang. I’m just happy they’ve got the costuming right, and CORSETS!!! I’ll definitely be checking Dickinson out.

  2. I always find modern slang in period dramas very irritating. Mind you, Julian Fellowes’ “period” dialogue is just as bad. I think it takes huge skill to write natural-sounding period dialogue and a lot of writers can’t really be arsed, or think the audience won’t understand it. The best I’ve ever heard was in The Terror and Deadwood.

    1. That’s an interesting comment, because to me the dialogue in both shows sounded NOTHING like conversational English as depicted in nineteenth century novels and plays and more like a bad translation. It left me cringing every five minutes! I was reminded of the dialogue in modern shows such as the second series of “True Detective” or some of the later series of “American Horror Story”, which were written by people with a tin ear for realistic speech.

  3. I’ll give it a try for the costumes alone. And Emily’s red death Gown looks right and really pretty.

  4. Nope. Modern slang is as annoying as all the other “relatable” anachronisms. Worse than many. You could conceivably be without a corset, or not have had time to fix your hair properly, but you won’t use language from the future unless this is Dr. Who.

    1. right on! what’s next? they start talking about their periods, feminist ideas from 1970, and strident speeches about the evils of the patriarchy?

  5. It is very unwise to hold a lit cigarette that close to a cotton dress. Fire was a real hazard to women dressed in full skirts and lightweight fabrics. There are numerous stories of women being burned to death after their dresses caught fire.
    The hazard was so we’ll known that the Rev. Bronte insisted his daughters wear either wool or silk which he considered less flamable.

  6. It’s the “TikTok dance breaks” that I just can’t manage. Modern language can work in period dramas- see also: The Little Hours, which II adore -but the idea that historical characters must be made to act jarringly modern (not just in speech) to be #relatable puts me off in a big way.

    For examinations of Emily’s and Sue’s romance, I vastly preferred Wild Nights With Emily, even if the costuming was a bit all over the place.

  7. The costumes are great and I don’t mind the modern dialogue. Its clear from the beginning that its a choice and not bad writing. I did drop out about halfway through the second season though. Its hard to peg down exactly why, but the story just seemed meandering. It just doesn’t feel cohesive.

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