This document provides an overview of historical fiction. It describes how historical fiction presents readers with a view of the past through its issues, beliefs, traditions and cultural expectations. It brings these aspects of history to life through engaging characters and stories that help readers empathize with people from another time period. The document discusses how historical fiction can help readers understand prejudices or beliefs from the past. It highlights the importance of plot and characters being connected to the historical setting. The document concludes by noting factors that make for good historical fiction, including accurate historical details, distinguishing facts from fiction, and authentic representations of language, attitudes and culture for the time period depicted.
This document provides an overview of historical fiction. It describes how historical fiction presents readers with a view of the past through its issues, beliefs, traditions and cultural expectations. It brings these aspects of history to life through engaging characters and stories that help readers empathize with people from another time period. The document discusses how historical fiction can help readers understand prejudices or beliefs from the past. It highlights the importance of plot and characters being connected to the historical setting. The document concludes by noting factors that make for good historical fiction, including accurate historical details, distinguishing facts from fiction, and authentic representations of language, attitudes and culture for the time period depicted.
This document provides an overview of historical fiction. It describes how historical fiction presents readers with a view of the past through its issues, beliefs, traditions and cultural expectations. It brings these aspects of history to life through engaging characters and stories that help readers empathize with people from another time period. The document discusses how historical fiction can help readers understand prejudices or beliefs from the past. It highlights the importance of plot and characters being connected to the historical setting. The document concludes by noting factors that make for good historical fiction, including accurate historical details, distinguishing facts from fiction, and authentic representations of language, attitudes and culture for the time period depicted.
This document provides an overview of historical fiction. It describes how historical fiction presents readers with a view of the past through its issues, beliefs, traditions and cultural expectations. It brings these aspects of history to life through engaging characters and stories that help readers empathize with people from another time period. The document discusses how historical fiction can help readers understand prejudices or beliefs from the past. It highlights the importance of plot and characters being connected to the historical setting. The document concludes by noting factors that make for good historical fiction, including accurate historical details, distinguishing facts from fiction, and authentic representations of language, attitudes and culture for the time period depicted.
its issues, beliefs, traditions, practices, behaviors, cultural
expectations, and the like.
Historical Fiction Described
brings these things to life in ways that non-fiction
accounts may often fail to do:
it gives us characters with whom we can empathize (if not
actually identify); it gives us something to care about and to understand within a context.
Illustrations:
we might understand a particular prejudice or an
improbable belief much better if we see it in the context of a character whom we like and whose behavior makes sense when seen in depth and detail if we see sexism in a particular context, we can understand how reasonable people might have felt that way superstitions may work the same way
Illustrations:
The work of a midwife becomes much more
important and much more emotionally engaging if we have a sense of the women and babies whose lives and happiness are at stake than if we simply learn about midwifery in the abstract.
The Appeal of Historical Fiction
Vicariously experience events and feelings
Confront some universal truths Discover core values in characters lives See differences, not only in clothing and conditions but also in beliefs, attitudes Understand prejudices and biases of another time
The Appeal of Historical Fiction
See what we have in common with people in
other times Come to understand that when and where people live influences where they are Satisfy our curiosity about the past See how different perspectives affect our sense of the past Experience in an immediate and compelling way historical events that might otherwise seem a bit boring. from Childrens Literature by Diana Mitchell, p. 275.
Connecting plot and past
For historical fiction to make any sense at all,
there have to be connections between the historical setting and such key elements of the novel as setting, plot, and characters.
Connecting plot and past
The writers style may or may not be connected
with the time and place, and the themes may be universal. But if setting, plot, and characters arent connected to the time, theres no point in having an historical novel.
Asking about the past and the plot
With any historical fiction, we can ask
questions that try to articulate these connections.
help readers understand
the historical period and
the ways in which the elements of the novel work
What makes a good historical novel?
the same things that make any novel good:
appealing plot and characters
effective use of setting inclusion of historical details in a way that seems natural and appropriate
historical accuracy!
Accuracy!
Details need to be correct: not just a
question of what might have been available at the time, but what would have been commonly available to characters and in circumstances such as those we see in the book.
Accuracy!
Line between facts and fiction needs to be
clear
especially true in a novel that blends historical
events and characters with ficitonal ones
Accuracy!
Novel must avoid distorting the past.
language, attitudes, opportunities, behaviors,
and so on should be appropriate to the time and place and society most common error is probably with language most serious error is making characters in historic settings present twentieth- and twentyfirst-century attitudes
Evaluating Historical Fiction
Is fact distinguished from fiction?
Does the book itself make clear the extent and nature of the research the author conducted? Are sources listed? Do actions and the plot develop out of the time period? Do the characters come to life? Do we feel connected to them?
Evaluating Historical Fiction
Do characters express attitudes and beliefs
consisted with the time period? Are historical settings and events woven into the story in seamless ways, or do they characters spout history lessons? Are the themes significant ones? Does the writing bring the story to life? Is the story authentic and language, details, and the spirit of the times? from Diana Mitchell, Childrens Literature, 288.