Throughout the narrative, I have been sketching Marianne’s psychological portrait. There have been several references to her strenuous family relations. Now, in the presence of her confessor, though not in the format of a religious confession, she pours out all the anxiety gathered in her heart.
True, it all may easily be nonsense. As saturated as we are with modern psychology, are we able to say anything relevant on the individual mentality of the pre-Freudian era? Surely, they had the same palette of emotions as modern people. Only the impulses which triggered those emotions would have differed greatly as well as their reactions to and explanations for external stimuli.
On the other hand, modern authors write for modern readers seeking dynamic, developing characters ripe for inner change and growth. Historical fiction must be understandable and recognisable to them, otherwise it loses its purpose, which means that my interpretation of Marianne’s outburst of emotion is nothing but a compromise between historical truthfulness and modern expectations.
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