I'm thinking about writing a story, somewhat related to the Devil's Arithmetic, about the of a Roman Catholic girl turning into a Slave girl after somehow, going back to Rome. Thoughts? Thanks.
I'm not quite sure what your question is? Can the plot idea work? Sure, if you have a particular point in time in mind (not just Republic or Empire mind you, but more specific), and have researched it well enough to properly convey Roman society as it existed at that time. Especially in fantasy, people from the modern world being sucked into other worlds or time periods is a genre staple. As is always the case, it comes down to how you write it.
Would she be going back to a time where Christianity existed and was the main religion or one where she would be fed to lions?
Okay thanks guys. Do you think it would work as a educational novel? And should I include the killing of Christians?
We could go back and forth with this issue with you all we'd like, and you could keep asking us if one things works over another. But that would get us nowhere fast. Write it. See if it works. If it doesn't, get rid of it; if it does, keep it. Then edit it. Does it still work after you edited it? Don't get caught in the "Will this work?" mindset. If you still don't know, then write out sub-plots that'll occur throughout the work on cards or on a spreadsheet of some kind, organize them to how the story needs to be told, and see if it works then. Hell, you may just think of the sub-plot, start writing the work, and find out that it's better without!
The Roman Republic lasted from 508 BC- until 44 BC during which time it became what we associate with the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire lasted from 44 BC before finally being completely disbanded in 1914 AD. From 312 AD it became the 'state' religion. Christianity is not as old as the Romans. If you don't know which time period you are placing your Roman Catholic in you won't have a hope of getting the story right.
Start with Wikipedia, and get some basic, basic information. Then do some research concerning the subject at a local library/database. Hell, you may want to even cross-reference local churches to see what they may know or think about the subject (and to possibly test the waters of your audience). Either way, if you want to write a piece of work that revolves heavily around a setting that's even somewhat historically accurate, then start with research first; even just a small piece can get you going on your writing, and you can continue researching as you write and edit. You don't have to get it all done right away, but you'll need to know something to start.
Yes but if your character travels back to say 30 BC and becomes a slave then - Christ hadn't been born. If she travels to 1914 the concerns would be different and she wouldn't be a slave. If it was after 312 AD she would be part of the national religion. If you don't know when or do you research your story won't work. To find out the information you need will take a few moments with google.
i don't think there's any such genre... do you mean something meant to be used in schools, to aid in teaching about a certain subject? if aiming for the commercial markets, keep in mind that people don't generally read fiction to be educated, only to be entertained...
Right. And there weren't "Roman Catholics" until after the schism which is way after any period the OP might be thinking of. UNLESS - the post wasn't that descriptive, he is thinking of sending her back in Time. Then she would find Christians, but no separate Christian religions. She would also find that Christianity was an Eastern, mystical religion and the one she was brought up in more closely resembles the pagan Roman traditions. Which would be a really interesting story but not what OP is thinking of, I am sure.
LOL - at first I thought the OP was describing a story about the modern sex-slave trade! The whole time-travel thing makes a big difference. No offense, but before you can write an educational novel, you'll need to do a whole lot of educating of yourself. The people here might help you track down sources and can certainly help you with your composition, but we are no substitute for research. I would also advise against using word of mouth for your facts. For example, you said that "someone" was trying to kill the Christians. There were actually many someones, with the tacit approval of at least a big chunk of the population. Likely, you're interested in Rome and Christianity between, say, the years 100 and 200. At that time, not all the sacraments were used, and even those that were used were not done by everyone or practiced them in the same way. Followers of Christ were divided on how different they were from the Jews of the day. They were split on whether Christ died (period), died and came back to life, never died (ascended to Heaven alive), or even whether he was crucified. Was Christ a (the) God, was he just a man (nothing more), or something of both? Early Christians were split. There was no set Bible. It was a series of stories, each group believing that different ones were "real". Gnosticism was also known within early Christians. So, lots of homework for you. -Frank
