How to write convincing male characters in historical fiction

Even taking into account titans like Bernard Cornwell, the vast majority of historical fiction authors are women. As are their readers.

Now, you should be incredibly suspicious of anyone who claims to be an expert in masculinity. Chances are, they are trying to sell you something. Possibly before being arrested in an embarrassing pizza box scandal. I hope that this article doesn’t involve too much gender-based navel gazing, but considering that throughout history men have had the overwhelming majority of power, money, and status across pretty much every time period and culture, it might be worth looking at how to write them convincingly in your historical fiction.

Obviously, things will vary. A Georgian landowner will consider wigs and makeup to be the height of masculine swagger, whereas a Viking Jarl not so much.

The first thing you need to understand when writing males in historical fiction is this:

Men are defined by occupation, women by relationships

This is consistently true throughout history. For much of history, a queen was a woman married to a king, and that’s what gave her her power – being able to use her husband’s authority through him. Whereas the Duke of Suchandsuch was important because of his own title, and the wealth and status that it conferred. Now, the implication for your writing is that characters will be aware of this convention, which will affect how they deal with members of the opposite sex. Women would often wield power in a more subtle way, by influencing men. Whereas men like the Duke of Suchandsuch were more inclined to direct action.

Men are visual

This is something that crops up time and time again in psychology. It’s debated, but generally, men are much more visually focused. Especially when it comes to romance and sex. The first thing noticed will be the body and clothing. Starting with the obvious…

If you’re writing from a male perspective in a book, you don’t have to have your protagonist immediately rank each woman in the room out of ten for jigglyness. But, if asked to describe someone they find beautiful, it’s the physical things that will stand out. It’s also worth noting that the visuals that will jump out to a man as “beautiful” will vary massively from period to period. Just look at how different the ideal 90’s body looks to today! A Tudor nobleman might first remark on a woman’s pale skin. Or his Victorian counterpart would be drawn to a waspish figure and rosy cheeks.

Jewellery is fine

Before the Victorians started with their “less is more” nonsense, the fashion among rich men was generally to pile on the bling magpie style.

Listen to this bit from the Laxdaela Saga:

Bolli rode from the ship with twelve men, and all his followers were dressed in scarlet, and rode on gilt saddles, and all were they a trusty band, though Bolli was peerless among them. He had on the clothes of gold embroidered silk which the emperor had given him, he had over all a scarlet cape; and he had Footbiter girt on him, the hilt of which was fight with gold, and the grip woven with gold, he had a gilded helmet on his head, and a red shield on his flank, with a knight painted on it in gold. He had a lance in his hand, as is the custom in foreign lands; and whenever they took quarters the women paid heed to nothing but gazing at Bolli and his grandeur, and that of his followers.

And these are big, butch Vikings!

The point of jewellery, fur, fine cloth, perfumes, etc. isn’t just to impress women – it’s also to show your status to other men. Look how rich I am. Look how powerful I am. Know that I am a man of importance who should be feared. Jewellery is also often given as gifts. Either as a reward for service, or a sign of love and loyalty. Quite often the exchange of such items was littered with symbolism and subtleties.

Masculinity is subjective

What is considered “manly” varies massively as well. The Victorians wrote extensively on the subject, and were famous advocates of the stiff upper lip. Excessive displays of emotion were considered childish – or worse, effeminate! In contrast, a medieval knight could freely weep with joy or sadness, and kissing between men was perfectly acceptable. Everyone knows before sitting down to write, do your research. And part of this needs to be “How are men supposed to act in this period?”

Also, not every man will be entirely consistent with how their historic period defines masculinity. It’s important to know what would be expected of a male character, even if you intend to subvert these traits.

Violence is always an option

I’m going to say this again. Violence is always an option.

I’m not trying to say that men are monsters, but in most hyper-masculine environments, violence or the threat of violence isn’t far behind. In the same way that two blokes passing each other at night on the pavement will give each other a small, friendly nod. As if to say “Just out for a nice walk, nothing to worry about.” Partly to reassure the other party, but also to let them know you’re not after any trouble. Depending on how Hobbesian you want to get, we can discuss the nature of man as a violent animal till the cows come home. Although in these more genteel and “civilised” times, we only experience violence as a form of sanitised entertainment, in the past it was never too far away.

For your writing, look at how men view conflict. Even if it’s not a sword fight, watch two politicians squaring up to each other to get an idea of body language and attitude. It’s also worth knowing that entertainment in the past was a lot bloodier. Bare knuckle boxing, wrestling, bear and bull baiting, public executions. The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer is a superb guide to previous attitudes to violence and bloodshed.

Men are pretty horrible to their friends (but that’s OK)

Right, I’m going to risk becoming incredibly unpopular here. Watch some Jeremy Clarkson. Top Gear, The Grand Tour, that thing with the farm – it doesn’t matter. Like him or loathe him, the man knows how to write snappy dialogue. Specifically, look at the interactions the male cast have with each other. For best friends who have known each other for years, they are absolute bastards to each other. And yes, that’s kind of how men are. If a woman asks a friend if she looks fat, she will say “Of course not! You look great.” If a bloke asked that, his friend would say “I know five fat blokes, and you’re four of them.”

Now, this isn’t just a 21st-century thing. Look at the back and forth between Jack and Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest. Or the way fools and jesters worked in medieval Europe.

This isn’t to say that men are incapable of love, affection, and fraternity. It’s just that those things are quite often wrapped up in personal abuse and derision. Like wrapping a dog’s worming pill up in a piece of cheese.

Finally, not all male characters will possess all these traits. Just like real life men are not cardboard cut-outs of their gender. But it’s good to know these rules, even if you intend to bend, or even break them. For a male character who defies expectations, consider how this makes society and other characters see him. And just as importantly, how he sees himself – which is a fantastic source of conflict for any writer.

Jack Shannon is a guest contributor to The History Quill. He is the author of Brigandine – a dark, bloody fantasy where unfortunately for Ulf (and everyone else), magic is returning to the land of Ashenfell. It has quite a few sword fights and a healthy dose of Lovecraft. Why not give him a follow on Twitter? @Jack_Shannon