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Does Period Fiction Have to Be Racially Accurate?
‘Bridgerton’ has sparked some important, yet misguided controversial conversations
Shonda Rhimes’ Bridgerton offers us a view into the lives of the various royal families during Britain’s Regency period where there is there is sex, courtship, marriage proposals, beautiful gowns, ornate costumes, and historical renditions of Ariana Grande’s music. The driving narrative of the show is the desire of Lady Violet Bridgerton to marry off her eight children in order to ensure their survival and stability, as well as their futures. The attention to detail and production values are clearly a priority and they draw the viewer in with each episode.
In true Rhimes fashion, casting decisions are multi-racial. We have seen this before within the Shonda Rhimes’ universe like in Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. However, there is a stark distinction with Bridgerton in that it features Black people in roles ranging from a duke, a queen, to a maid, as well as others playing silent yet present roles throughout the series. These casting choices beg the question: Must period fiction be historically accurate?
The short answer is no.
Artists consistently remix the past in order to create new work and engage in the present because art is often a conversation between the present and the past simultaneously.
Artists have the right to rewrite, reinterpret, reimagine, and re-envision historical work in order to execute their own ideas and create new work. We have seen this with films such as Toni Morrison’s Beloved and more recently and controversially with the broadway play Hamilton. We have also observed remix culture with music as well, such as Diddy sampling Sting for “I’ll Be Missing You,” Missy Elliot with Ann Peeble’s “I Can’t Stand the Rain” and an entire generation of rappers and producers remixing and sampling James Brown’s expansive and richly textured catalog. Artists consistently remix the past in order to create new work and engage in the present because art is often a conversation between the present and the past simultaneously.
