Posted on
Wednesday, July 22, 2009 in
Notes, News, Commentary
Sarah Johnson
Assistant Professor and Reference Librarian
Eastern Illinois University
[This speech formed part of a panel discussion on historical fiction at the Associated Writing Programs annual conference in March 2002. Please note that this document (like historical novels themselves!) reflects the time it was written and is somewhat outdated with respect to the genre's perception by the media and publishers, and the historical settings whichare popular. --slj]
Now is a particularly exciting time to be involved in the field of historical fiction. Over the past few years, author and reader interest in the past has grown. More and more authors, even authors who have found success in other genres, are choosing to write historical novels. The success of recent films such as Gladiator, Elizabeth, Shakespeare in Love – all set at various times in the past — demonstrate this interest as well.
When you first read about this talk in your program, you must have had an idea in mind as to what “historical fiction” was. After all, it should be fairly easy. The obvious definition that comes to mind is that historical fiction is simply “fiction set in the past.”
But the reality is, however, that almost everyone – and this includes readers, authors, publishers, agents, and the press — seems to have his or her own idea of what historical fiction is, and also what historical fiction should be. When you become involved with the field, you begin to learn that above all, historical fiction is a genre of controversy and contradiction.
Let me speak first about a good definition for historical fiction. While the usual generic definition – “fiction set in the past” — is true for the most part, this seemingly simple definition brings up a number of questions.
For instance, how far back does a novel have to be set to make it “historical”? A hundred years? Fifty years? Five years? To a reader born in the 1960s, novels set during the Second World War may be considered “suitably historical,” but readers who vividly remember the 1940s may not agree. Should the definition be relative, so that a novel can be considered historical by one reader, but not by someone else? Or, given that ALL novels are set in SOME time period, should we use the broadest definition possible, saying something like, “All novels are historical, but some are more historical than others”?
(more…)
What are the Rules for Historical Fiction?
Sarah Johnson
Assistant Professor and Reference Librarian
Eastern Illinois University
[This speech formed part of a panel discussion on historical fiction at the Associated Writing Programs annual conference in March 2002. Please note that this document (like historical novels themselves!) reflects the time it was written and is somewhat outdated with respect to the genre's perception by the media and publishers, and the historical settings whichare popular. --slj]
Now is a particularly exciting time to be involved in the field of historical fiction. Over the past few years, author and reader interest in the past has grown. More and more authors, even authors who have found success in other genres, are choosing to write historical novels. The success of recent films such as Gladiator, Elizabeth, Shakespeare in Love – all set at various times in the past — demonstrate this interest as well.
When you first read about this talk in your program, you must have had an idea in mind as to what “historical fiction” was. After all, it should be fairly easy. The obvious definition that comes to mind is that historical fiction is simply “fiction set in the past.”
But the reality is, however, that almost everyone – and this includes readers, authors, publishers, agents, and the press — seems to have his or her own idea of what historical fiction is, and also what historical fiction should be. When you become involved with the field, you begin to learn that above all, historical fiction is a genre of controversy and contradiction.
Let me speak first about a good definition for historical fiction. While the usual generic definition – “fiction set in the past” — is true for the most part, this seemingly simple definition brings up a number of questions.
For instance, how far back does a novel have to be set to make it “historical”? A hundred years? Fifty years? Five years? To a reader born in the 1960s, novels set during the Second World War may be considered “suitably historical,” but readers who vividly remember the 1940s may not agree. Should the definition be relative, so that a novel can be considered historical by one reader, but not by someone else? Or, given that ALL novels are set in SOME time period, should we use the broadest definition possible, saying something like, “All novels are historical, but some are more historical than others”?
(more…)