Historical fiction
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Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the
An essential element of much of some of historical fiction is that it is set in the past and pays attention to the manners, social conditions and other details of the depicted period.[1] Authors also frequently choose to explore notable historical figures in these settings, allowing readers to better understand how these individuals might have responded to their environments. The historical romance usually seeks to romanticize eras of the past. Some subgenres such as alternate history and historical fantasy insert intentionally ahistorical or speculative elements into a novel.
Works of historical fiction are sometimes criticized for lack of authenticity because of readerly criticism or genre expectations for accurate period details. This tension between historical authenticity and fiction frequently becomes a point of comment for readers and popular critics, while scholarly criticism frequently goes beyond this commentary, investigating the genre for its other thematic and critical interests.
Historical fiction as a contemporary Western literary genre has its foundations in the early-19th-century works of Sir Walter Scott and his contemporaries in other national literatures such as the Frenchman Honoré de Balzac, the American James Fenimore Cooper, and later the Russian Leo Tolstoy. However, the melding of historical and fictional elements in individual works of literature has a long tradition in many cultures; both western traditions (as early as Ancient Greek and Latin literature) as well as Eastern, in the form of oral and folk traditions (see mythology and folklore), which produced epics, novels, plays and other fictional works describing history for contemporary audiences.
Introduction
Definitions differ as to what constitutes a historical novel. On the one hand the Historical Novel Society defines the genre as works "written at least fifty years after the events described",[2] while critic Sarah Johnson delineates such novels as "set before the middle of the last [20th] century ... in which the author is writing from research rather than personal experience."[3] Then again Lynda Adamson, in her preface to the bibliographic reference work World Historical Fiction, states that while a "generally accepted definition" for the historical novel is a novel "about a time period at least 25 years before it was written", she also suggests that some people read novels written in the past, like those of Jane Austen (1775–1817), as if they were historical novels.[4]
Historical fiction sometimes encouraged movements of
Many early historical novels played an important role in the rise of European popular interest in the
The genre of the historical novel has also permitted some authors, such as the
In some historical novels, major historic events take place mostly off-stage, while the fictional characters inhabit the world where those events occur.
In some works, the accuracy of the historical elements has been questioned, as in
History
History up to 18th century
Historical prose fiction has a long tradition in world literature. Three of the
One of the early examples of the historical novel in Europe is
19th century
Historical fiction rose to prominence in Europe during the early 19th century as part of the
In the 20th century György Lukács argued that Scott was the first fiction writer who saw history not just as a convenient frame in which to stage a contemporary narrative, but rather as a distinct social and cultural setting.[25] Scott's Scottish novels such as Waverley (1814) and Rob Roy (1817) focused upon a middling character who sits at the intersection of various social groups in order to explore the development of society through conflict.[26] Ivanhoe (1820) gained credit for renewing interest in the Middle Ages.
Many well-known writers from the United Kingdom published historical novels in the mid 19th century, the most notable include
In the United States, the first historical novelist was
Tolstoy's War and Peace offers an example of 19th-century historical fiction used to critique contemporary history. Tolstoy read the standard histories available in Russian and French about the Napoleonic Wars, and used the novel to challenge those historical approaches. At the start of the novel's third volume, he describes his work as blurring the line between fiction and history, in order to get closer to the truth.[41] The novel is set 60 years before it was composed, and alongside researching the war through primary and secondary sources, he spoke with people who had lived through war during the French invasion of Russia in 1812; thus, the book is also, in part, ethnography fictionalized.[41]
The Charterhouse of Parma by Marie-Henri Beyle (Stendhal) is an epic retelling of the story of an Italian nobleman who lives through the Napoleonic period in Italian history. It includes a description of the Battle of Waterloo by the principal character. Stendhal fought with Napoleon and participated in the French invasion of Russia.
The Betrothed (1827) by Alessandro Manzoni has been called the most famous and widely read novel of the Italian language.[42] The Betrothed was inspired by Walter Scott's Ivanhoe but, compared to its model, shows some innovations (two members of the lower class as principal characters, the past described without romantic idealization, an explicitly Christian message), somehow forerunning the realistic novel of the following decades.[43] Set in northern Italy in 1628, during the oppressive years under Spanish rule, it is sometimes seen as a veiled attack on Austria, which controlled the region at the time the novel was written.
The critical and popular success of The Betrothed gave rise to a crowd of imitations and, in the age of
In Arabic literature, the Lebanese writer Jurji Zaydan (1861–1914) was the most prolific novelist of this genre. He wrote 23 historical novels between 1889 and 1914. His novels played an important in shaping the collective consciousness of modern Arabs during the Nahda period and educated them about their history. The Fleeing Mamluk (1891), The Captive of the Mahdi Pretender (1892), and Virgin of Quraish (1899) are some of his nineteenth-century historical novels.
20th century
Germany
A major 20th-century example of this genre is the German author
In the same era, Lion Feuchtwanger was one of the most popular and accomplished writers of historical novels, with publications between the 1920s and 1950s. His reputation began with the bestselling work, Jud Süß (1925), set in the eighteenth century, as well as historical novels written primarily in exile in France and California, including most prominently the Josephus trilogy set in Ancient Rome (1932 / 1935 / 1942), Goya (1951), and his novel Raquel: The Jewess of Toledo - set in Medieval Spain.
Britain
Other significant British novelists include
In Welsh literature, the major contributor to the genre in Welsh is William Owen Roberts (b. 1960). His historical novels include Y Pla (1987), set at the time of the Black Death; Paradwys (2001), 18th century, concerning the slave trade; and Petrograd (2008) and Paris (2013), concerning the Russian revolution and its aftermath. Y Pla has been much translated, appearing in English as Pestilence, and Petrograd and Paris have also appeared in English. A contemporary of Roberts' working in English is Christopher Meredith (b. 1954), whose Griffri (1991) is set in the 12th century and has the poet of a minor Welsh prince as narrator.
Nobel Prize laureate
Though the genre has evolved since its inception, the historical novel remains popular with authors and readers to this day and bestsellers include
United States
American Nobel laureate
Italy
In Italy, the tradition of historical fiction has flourished in the modern age, the nineteenth century in particular having caught writers’ interests. Southern Italian novelists like
In 1980,
Bulgaria
One of the best known Scandinavian historical novels is Sigrid Undset's Kristin Lavransdatter (1920–1922) set in medieval Norway. For this trilogy Undset was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1928.[56] Johannes V. Jensen's trilogy Kongens fald (1900–1901, "The Fall of the King"), set in 16th century Denmark, has been called "the finest historical novel in Danish literature".[57] The epic historical novel series Den lange rejse (1908–1921, "The Long Journey") is generally regarded as Jensen's masterpiece and he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1944 partly on the strength of it.[58] The Finnish writer Mika Waltari is known for the historical novel The Egyptian (1945).[59] Faroes–Danish writer William Heinesen wrote several historical novels, most notably Det gode håb (1964, "Fair Hope") set in the Faroe Islands in 17th century.[60]
Historical fiction has long been a popular genre in Sweden, especially since the 1960s a huge number of historical novels has been written. Nobel laureates Eyvind Johnson and Pär Lagerkvist wrote acclaimed historical novels such as Return to Ithaca (1946) and Barabbas (1950). Vilhelm Moberg's Ride This Night (1941) is set in 16th century Småland and his widely read novel series The Emigrants tells the story of Småland emigrants to the United States in the 19th century. Per Anders Fogelström wrote a hugely popular series of five historical novels set in his native Stockholm beginning with City of My Dreams (1960). Other writers of historical fiction in Swedish literature include Sara Lidman, Birgitta Trotzig, Per Olov Enquist and Artur Lundkvist.[61]
Latin America
The historical novel was quite popular in 20th century
21st century
In the first decades of the 21st century, an increased interest for historical fiction has been noted. One of the most successful writers of historical novels is Hilary Mantel. Other writers of historical fiction include Philippa Gregory, Bernard Cornwell, Sarah Waters, Ken Follett, George Saunders, Shirley Hazzard and Julie Orringer.[63][64] The historical novel The Books of Jacob set in 18th century Poland has been praised as the magnum opus by the 2018 Nobel Prize laureate Olga Tokarczuk.[65]
Subgenres
Documentary fiction
A 20th-century variant of the historical novel is documentary fiction, which incorporates "not only historical characters and events, but also reports of everyday events" found in contemporary newspapers.
Fictional biographies
Gothic fiction
The gothic novel was popular in the late eighteenth century. Set in the historical past it has an interest in the mysterious, terrifying and haunting. Horace Walpole's 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto is considered to be an influential work.[68]
Historical mysteries
Historical mysteries or "historical
Historical romance and family sagas
Nautical and pirate fiction
Some historical novels explore life at sea, including C. S. Forester's Hornblower series, Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey–Maturin series, Alexander Kent's The Bolitho novels, Dudley Pope's Lord Ramage's series, all of which all deal with the Napoleonic Wars. There are also adventure novels with pirate characters like Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island (1883), Emilio Salgari's Sandokan (1895–1913) and Captain Blood (1922) by Rafael Sabatini. Recent examples of historical novels about pirates are The Adventures of Hector Lynch by Tim Severin, The White Devil (Белият Дявол) by Hristo Kalchev and The Pirate Devlin novels by Mark Keating.
Alternative history and historical fantasy
A number of work take place in variants of known history, in which events had occurred differently. This can involve time travel. There are also works of
Historiographic metafiction
Historiographic metafiction combines historical fiction with metafiction. The term is closely associated with postmodern literature including writers such as Salman Rushdie and Thomas Pynchon.
Several novels by Nobel Prize laureate José Saramago are set in historical times including Baltasar and Blimunda, The Gospel According to Jesus Christ and The History of the Siege of Lisbon. In a parallel plot set in the 12th and 20th century where history and fiction are constantly overlapping, the latter novel questions the reliability of historical sources and deals with the difference of writing history and fiction.[76]
Children's historical fiction
A prominent subgenre within historical fiction is the children's historical novel. Often following a pedagogical bent, children's historical fiction may follow the conventions of many of the other subgenres of historical fiction. A number of such works include elements of
Comics and graphic novels
Historical narratives have also found their way in comics and graphic novels. There are
The performing arts
Period drama films and television series
Historical drama film stories are based upon historical events and famous people. Some
Many historical narratives have been expanded into television series. Notable
The theatre
History plays
History is one of the three main genres in Western theatre alongside tragedy and comedy, although it originated, in its modern form, thousands of years later than the other primary genres.[77] For this reason, it is often treated as a subset of tragedy.[78] A play in this genre is known as a history play and is based on a historical narrative, often set in the medieval or early modern past. History emerged as a distinct genre from tragedy in Renaissance England.[79] The best known examples of the genre are the history plays written by William Shakespeare, whose plays still serve to define the genre.[80] Shakespeare wrote numerous history plays, some included in the First Folio as histories, and other listed as tragedies, or Roman plays. Among the most famous histories are Richard III, and Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, and Henry V. Other plays that feature historical characters, are the tragedy Macbeth, set in the mid-11th century during the reigns of Duncan I of Scotland and Edward the Confessor, and the Roman plays Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, and Antony and Cleopatra. Another tragedy King Lear, is based on British legend, as is the romanc Cymbeline, King of Britain, which is set in Ancient Britain.
Other playwrights contemporary to Shakespeare, such as
History plays also appear elsewhere in other western literature. The German authors
Later Irish author
More recently British dramatist Howard Brenton has written several histories. He gained notoriety for his play The Romans in Britain, first staged at the National Theatre in October 1980, which drew parallels between the Roman invasion of Britain in 54BC and the contemporary British military presence in Northern Ireland. Its concerns with politics were, however, overshadowed by controversy surrounding a rape scene. Brenton also wrote Anne Boleyn a play on the life of Anne Boleyn, which premiered at Shakespeare's Globe in 2010. Anne Boleyn is portrayed as a significant force in the political and religious in-fighting at court and a furtherer of the cause of Protestantism in her enthusiasm for the Tyndale Bible.[82]
Opera
One of the first operas to use historical events and people is
Historical subjects for operas also developed during the 19th century. Usually with 4 or 5 acts, they are large-scale casts and orchestras, and spectacular staging. Several operas by
Russian composers also wrote operas based on historical figures, including
Historical reenactment
Historical reenactment is an educational or entertainment activity in which people follow a plan to recreate aspects of a historical event or period. This may be as narrow as a specific moment from a battle, such as the reenactment of
Theory and criticism
The Marxist literary critic, essayist, and social theorist György Lukács wrote extensively on the aesthetic and political significance of the historical novel. In 1937's Der historische Roman, published originally in Russian, Lukács developed critical readings of several historical novels by various authors, including Gottfried Keller, Charles Dickens, and Gustave Flaubert. He interprets the advent of the "genuinely" historical novel at the beginning of the 19th century in terms of two developments, or processes. The first is the development of a specific genre in a specific medium—the historical novel's unique stylistic and narrative elements. The second is the development of a representative, organic artwork that can capture the fractures, contradictions, and problems of the particular productive mode of its time (i.e., developing, early, entrenched capitalism).
See also
- Historical fiction awards
- List of historical novelists
- List of historical fiction by time period
- Walter Scott Prize
- Bayhaqi's History
References
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Works cited
- de Groot, Jerome (2009-09-23). The Historical Novel. Routledge. ISBN 9780203868966.
- Lukacs, Georg (1969). The Historical Novel. Penguin Books.
Further reading
- Cole, Richard. "Breaking the frame in historical fiction." Rethinking History (2020) 24#3/4, pp 368–387. Frame breaking, or metalepsis, is authors placing themselves in their work, or characters engaging with their author.
- Fisher, Janet. "Historical fiction." in International Companion Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature (2004) pp: 368–376.
- Freeman, Evelyn B., and Linda Levstik. "Recreating the past: Historical fiction in the social studies curriculum." The elementary school journal 88.4 (1988): 329–337.
- Grindon, Leger. Shadows on the past: Studies in the historical fiction film (Temple University Press, 2010).
- McEwan, Neil. Perspective in British historical fiction today (Springer, 1987).
- Rousselot, Elodie, ed. Exoticising the Past in Contemporary Neo-Historical Fiction (2014)
- Rycik, Mary Taylor, and Brenda Rosler. "The return of historical fiction." The Reading Teacher 63.2 (2009): 163–166; it now dominates the book awards in children's literature
- Shaw, Harry E. The Forms of Historical Fiction: Sir Walter Scott and His Successors. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1983.
- White, Hayden. "Introduction: Historical fiction, fictional history, and historical reality." Rethinking History 9.2-3 (2005): 147–157.
External links
- Historical fiction by women, about women
- Historical Fiction recommended reading
- Audio Archives from "Historical Fiction and The Search for Truth"- 2009 Key West Literary Seminar
- Historical Fiction Festival Annual event in Summerhall, Edinburgh, for writers and audiences to discuss historical fiction.
- Defining the Genre: What are the rules for historical fiction? Archived 2016-11-22 at the Wayback Machine from the Historical Novel Society
- When Fictionalized Facts Matter - Chronicle of Higher Education article on the fictionalization of history