Historical Fiction
By: Dannielle Holman
Historical Fiction Definition
-The Definition of historical fiction is, a story or text that is fiction but blends actual historical facts and fiction together.
-The literal meaning of Historical Fiction
-Historical fiction is a literary genre that takes place in the past. The setting is drawn from history, and often contains historical persons. Writers of stories in this genre work to portray the manners and social conditions of the persons or time(s) presented in the story, with attention paid to period detail.[1]
-Definition[edit]
In her preface to the book , Lynda Adamson debates the true definition of the term "historical fiction." She states that a "generally accepted definition" is a story "about a time period at least 25 years before it was written," but she respectfully disagrees, saying that people will view a novel as "historical" if it is about a past time period, even if the author was writing about his or her own times (she gives Jane Austen as an example; people will view Austen's works as historical, even if they were not intended in that way). Adamson offers her own definition: "If the setting is in a time earlier than that with which the reader is familiar, it is historical fiction."[2]
Historical fiction presents a story that takes place during a notable period in history, and often during a significant event in that period. Setting usually takes priority in a work of historical fiction, and the author should be making some sort of statement or observation about the period where and/or when the work is taking place.[3] Historical fiction often presents events from the point of view of fictional characters of that time period. Events portrayed in historical fiction must adhere to the laws of nature.
In some historical fiction, famous events appear from points of view. Historical figures are also often shown dealing with these events while depicting them in a way that has not been previously recorded. Other times, a historical event is used to complement a story's narrative, occurring in the background while characters deal with situations (personal or otherwise) wholly unrelated to that historical event. Sometimes, the names of people and places have been in some way altered.
Artistic license is permitted in regard to presentation and subject matter, so long as it does not deviate in significant ways from established history. If events should deviate significantly, the story is likely to be classified as alternate history. This is defined by presenting and exploring a different outcome of an historical event, for instance, if the South had won the American Civil War. speculating on what could have happened if a significant historical event had occurred differently.
"...They demonstrate that history, however disorderly, remains meaningful. History can still enable humanity to know itself and its condition, and in the historical novel, especially the type devoted to recapturing the way it was, history often finds its most legitimate realization." (Cowart, 1989)Pictures of Books or Texts With Historical Fiction
Dream Before Compline
Women of the Book of Mormon
The Silver Sea
10 Common Themes of Historical Fiction
1-Building a world
2-Trying to represent the alien
3-Scientific progress
4-Alternate timelines
5-Heroism
6-What happens when society goes through an enormous change
7-Individuals can change the future
8-A broad canvas with many characteristics from all walks of life
9-Escape from the present
10-Really amazing costumes
5 Common Characteristics of Historical Fiction
May be fictional, or some may be real and some fictional, but all of the characters in the story
behave in realistic way.
The characters all behave in
realistic ways. All of the
characters may be fictional, or
some may be real while other
are fictional. The character also
may be fictitious but based on a
person who actually lived
Websites I Used to Find My Information
wjhs7a.pbworks.com
io9.com