Historical Fiction
Eleni, Stephanie, Cristian, Abby, Logan
Historical fiction blends actual historical facts with fiction.
Plot: mixture of real events and fictional events
Description: any historical events that may be unfamiliar to the reader are explained by the author
Characters: may be real or fictional, some real and fictional, but all behave in realistic ways for the time period
Historical Fiction Needs
- set in the past
- actual historic research in the writing
- a real person in a fictional setting
- Or an invented character in a historical event
Book Examples
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Short Story
There is no specific main character but we know he is a soldier in the Vietnam War. The events that he tells about the war are realistic in most ways. An interesting plot twist is that the main character tells us that his stories aren't actually true. His stories did not tell the physical elements of war but rather the emotional side. This is a good example of historical fiction because there are fake characters set in the past in the Vietnam War.
"And in the end, of course, a true war story is never about war...It's about love and memory. It's about sorrow."
"War is hell, but that's not the half of it, because war is mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love. War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead."