Anachronism: the Good, the Bad, and the WTF

 Dear Reader,

Anachronism is a tricky thing to work with. Some authors wield it like a surgeon's scalpel and others are more ham fisted about it. If it is done well, anachronism can enhance your story and add some interesting nuances that one doesn't typically encounter in the genre. If it is done poorly, it breaks the suspension of disbelief and can devastate your story's continuity. (Perhaps some day, I will share the tale of the romance novel with modern clocks in a medieval setting. It was bad. At least the cover art was ok.)

Anachronism is placing things or concepts in to the wrong time setting. Like the medieval romance novel with modern clocks is an example of an object in the wrong time period. Now, there are modern anachronism where things of antiquity pop up. You see this happen as a common trope in urban fantasy where some kind of ancient relic is a major plot device. A fine example of this can be seen in Neil Gaiman's short story Chivalry. His handling of both the relic and the knight seeking the relic is excellent. These elements of the story remain true to their time period despite the fact that they are transported to the modern era. (I'd give more details but I wouldn't want to give spoilers.) 

A bad example of this can be seen in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The grail scene is poorly executed and campy at best. The only good version of anachronism that pops up in that movie is the motorcycle jousting scene. (I have more opinions on the Indiana Jones franchise, but I can summarize them by saying it's a pulp series of movies with big name actors that are the only reason why it made it to the box office.) And then you have a series that just throw anachronism and nonsense at the wall to see what sticks and use that as plot fodder. (Xena and Hercules, I'm looking at you.)

Badly done anachronism for the purpose of humor is fine. It is a hallmark of some authors' work. Historical fiction that's slap-dash and full of speculation about alternate timelines that include anachronistic elements can make for a fun read. Terry Prachett's Nation is a great example. The best part of how Sir Pratchett handled it was the fact that he had characters recognize and comment on it. Because Sir Pratchett was the master of breaking the fourth wall intentionally.

Anachronism breaks the fourth wall when done poorly. If you are deft and subtle, however, you can use anachronism to crack that fourth wall a bit to add new dimension to your story.