I could tell you how to get to Thornfield Manor, but then I'd have to kill you.
February 23, 2009 2:12 AM Subscribe
Why do some older novels have missing or redacted place names and years?
I've noticed that in many old novels, place names and sometimes years are left as blanks or are redacted.
Examples include in Chapter 5 of Jane Eyre, "At last the guard returned; once more I was stowed away in the coach, my protector mounted his own seat, sounded his hollow horn, and away we rattled over the “stony street” of L-." Edgar Allan Poe's The Murders in the Rue Morgue contains these examples: "I now remembered that, in fact, a fruiterer, carrying upon his head a large basket of apples, had nearly thrown me down, by accident, as we passed from the Rue C___ into the thoroughfare where we stood; but what this had to do with Chantilly I could not possibly understand." and "Residing in Paris during the spring and part of the summer of 18--, I there became acquainted with a Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin."
This seems to happen most often in novels and stories of the Romantic and Early Victorian period.
Does anyone know why these place names or years are missing/redacted? Is it to give the story a sense of vague time or place, such that it could be happening anywhere at anytime? Is it a legal reason?
I've noticed that in many old novels, place names and sometimes years are left as blanks or are redacted.
Examples include in Chapter 5 of Jane Eyre, "At last the guard returned; once more I was stowed away in the coach, my protector mounted his own seat, sounded his hollow horn, and away we rattled over the “stony street” of L-." Edgar Allan Poe's The Murders in the Rue Morgue contains these examples: "I now remembered that, in fact, a fruiterer, carrying upon his head a large basket of apples, had nearly thrown me down, by accident, as we passed from the Rue C___ into the thoroughfare where we stood; but what this had to do with Chantilly I could not possibly understand." and "Residing in Paris during the spring and part of the summer of 18--, I there became acquainted with a Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin."
This seems to happen most often in novels and stories of the Romantic and Early Victorian period.
Does anyone know why these place names or years are missing/redacted? Is it to give the story a sense of vague time or place, such that it could be happening anywhere at anytime? Is it a legal reason?
This post was deleted for the following reason: Man, we should put this one in the FAQ or something. -- cortex
Response by poster: Thanks b33j! Turns out there are several threads about this same topic. I feel foolish even though I did search both Google and AskMeFi before asking. Seems like everyone who asks it uses different terms to describe it, so maybe that's why searching failed to find anything.
posted by katyggls at 2:38 AM on February 23, 2009
posted by katyggls at 2:38 AM on February 23, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by b33j at 2:18 AM on February 23, 2009