An historical novel is a novel in which the story is set among historical events, or more generally, in which the time of the action predates the lifetime of the author. A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created As such, the historical novel is distinguished from the alternate-history genre. Alternate history or alternative history is a subgenre of Speculative fiction (or Science fiction) and Historical fiction
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Overview
An early example is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th-century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history. Luo Guanzhong ( c 1330?-1400? born Luo Ben (罗本 was a Chinese author attributed with writing Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三国演义 Romance of the Three Kingdoms ( written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese Historical novel based upon events in Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River ( valley in the Neolithic era
The historical novel was popularized in the 19th century by artists classified as Romantics. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the Many regard Sir Walter Scott as the first to have used this technique, in his novels of Scottish history such as Waverley (1814) and Rob Roy (1818). Sir Walter Scott 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 &ndash 21 September 1832 was a prolific Scottish Historical novelist and Poet popular throughout A literary technique or literary device is an identifiable Rule of thumb, convention or Structure that is employed in Literature The history of Scotland begins around 10000 years ago when Humans first began to inhabit Scotland after the end of the Devensian glaciation, the last Rob Roy (1817 is a novel by Walter Scott about Frank Osbaldistone the son of an English merchant who goes to the Scottish Highlands to collect a His Ivanhoe (1820) gains credit for renewing interest in the Middle Ages. Ivanhoe is a Novel by Sir Walter Scott. It was written in 1819 and set in 12th century England, an example of Historical fiction Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831) furnishes another early example of the historical novel. Victor-Marie Hugo ( ( February 26, 1802 – May 22, 1885) was a French Poet, Playwright, Novelist The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Notre-Dame de Paris is an 1831 French novel written by Victor Hugo. Year 1831 ( MDCCCXXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a
Historical fiction may center on historical or on fictional characters, but usually represents an honest attempt based on considerable research (or at least serious reading) to tell a story set in the historical past as understood by the author's contemporaries. Those historical settings may not stand up to the enhanced knowledge of later historians.
Many early historical novels played an important role in the rise of European popular interest in the history of the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages in history is an overview of how previous periods have both romanticised and disparaged the Middle Ages. Hugo's Hunchback often receives credit for fueling the movement to save Gothic architecture in France, leading to the establishment of the Monuments historiques, the French governmental authority for historic preservation. See also Gothic art Gothic architecture is a style of Architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Historic preservation or heritage conservation is a professional endeavor that seeks to preserve the ability of older (e
Historical fiction has also served to encourage movements of romantic nationalism. Romantic nationalism (also National Romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of Nationalism in which the state derives A series of novels by Józef Ignacy Kraszewski on the history of Poland popularized the country's history after it had lost its independence in the Partitions of Poland. Józef Ignacy Kraszewski ( Warsaw, July 28, 1812 – March 19, 1887, Geneva) was a Polish novelist The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Subsequently the Polish winner of the 1905 Nobel Prize in literature, Henryk Sienkiewicz, wrote several immensely popular novels set in conflicts between the Poles and predatory Teutonic Knights, rebelling Cossacks and invading Swedes. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The Nobel Prize in Literature (Nobelpriset i litteratur is awarded annually since 1901 to an author from any country who has in the words from the will of Alfred The Teutonic Order is a German Roman Catholic religious order. The Cossacks (Каза́ки́ Kazaki; Козаки́ Kozaki; Kozacy are a group of martial people living in the southern Steppe regions of Eastern "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. (He also penned a once wildly popular novel about Nero's Rome and the early Christians, Quo Vadis, which has been filmed several times. Quo Vadis A Narrative of the Time of Nero, commonly known as Quo Vadis, is a Historical novel written by Henryk Sienkiewicz. )
Scott's Waverley novels ignited interest in Scottish history and still illuminate it. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Sigrid Undset's Kristin Lavransdatter fulfilled a similar function for Norwegian history; Undset later won a Nobel Prize for Literature (1928). Sigrid Undset ( 20 May, 1882 &ndash 10 June, 1949) was a Norwegian novelist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature Kristin Lavransdatter is the common name for a trilogy of historical novels written by Nobel laureate Sigrid Undset. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional The Nobel Prize in Literature (Nobelpriset i litteratur is awarded annually since 1901 to an author from any country who has in the words from the will of Alfred
The genre of the historical novel has also permitted some authors, such as the Polish novelist Bolesław Prus in his sole historical novel, Pharaoh, to distance themselves from their own time and place in order to gain perspective on society and on the human condition, or to escape the depredations of the censor. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Bolesław Prus (pronounced [bɔ'lεswaf 'prus]; Hrubieszów, August 20 1847 &ndash May 19 1912 Warsaw) whose actual name was Pharaoh (Faraon is the fourth and last major Novel by the Polish writer Bolesław Prus. Perspective in theory of Cognition is the choice of a context or a Reference (or the result of this choice from which to Sense, Categorize A society is a Population of Humans characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals that share a distinctive Culture and Institutions The human condition encompasses all of the Experience of being Human.
In some historical novels the main historic events take place mostly off-stage, while the characters inhabit the world in which those events are occurring. Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped recounts mostly private adventures set against the backdrop of the Jacobite troubles in Scotland. Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson (13 November 1850–3 December 1894 was a Scottish novelist poet and travel writer, and a representative of Neo-romanticism in Kidnapped is a historical fiction Adventure novel by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. Jacobitism was (and to a limited extent remains the political movement dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Charles Dickens' Barnaby Rudge is set amid the Gordon Riots, and A Tale of Two Cities in the French Revolution. Barnaby Rudge A Tale of the Riots of 'Eighty is an Historical novel by the author Charles Dickens. The Gordon Riots refers to a number of events in a predominantly Protestant religious uprising in London, England, in 1780, aimed against the A Tale of Two Cities (1859 is the second Historical novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an
Other authors give historic characters a fictional setting, as in Alexandre Dumas' Queen Margot and Thomas Pynchon's Mason & Dixon. Thomas Ruggles Pynchon Jr (born May 8 1937 is an American writer based in New York City, noted for his dense and complex works of Fiction. Mason & Dixon, an epic postmodernist novel by Thomas Pynchon first published in 1997 centers on the collaboration of the historical Charles Mason
Historical fiction can serve satirical purposes. Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human An example is George MacDonald Fraser's tales of the dashing cad, poltroon, and bounder Sir Harry Paget Flashman. George MacDonald Fraser, OBE (2 April 1925 &ndash 2 January 2008 was a British Author of both Historical novels and Non-fiction books
The historical novel has continued to remain popular with authors to this day as with the wildly popular Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey–Maturin series. Patrick O'Brian, CBE ( 12 December 1914 &ndash 2 January 2000; born as Richard Patrick Russ) was an English The Aubrey–Maturin series is a sequence of Historical novels — 20 completed and one unfinished — by Patrick O'Brian, set during the Napoleonic The most striking development in British/Irish writing in the past 25 years has been the renewed interest in the First World War. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Works include William Boyd's An Ice-Cream War; Sebastian Faulks' The Girl at the Lion d'Or ( concerned with the War's consequences) and Birdsong; Pat Barker's Regeneration Trilogy and Sebastian Barry's A Long Long Way. William Boyd may refer to William Boyd 3rd Earl of Kilmarnock (died 1717 Scottish nobleman William Boyd 4th Earl of Kilmarnock (1704-1746 An Ice-Cream War ( 1982) is William Boyd 's second novel It was nominated for the Booker Prize for Fiction in the year of its publication Sebastian Faulks CBE FRSL (born 20 April 1953) is an acclaimed English Novelist. The Girl at the Lion d'Or by Sebastian Faulks, was the author's second novel Pat Barker (born May 8, 1943) is an English Writer and Historian. The Regeneration Trilogy is a series of three novels by Pat Barker on the subject of the First World War. Sebastian Barry (b 5 July 1955, Dublin) is an Irish Playwright, Novelist, and Poet. A Long Long Way is a novel by Irish author Sebastian Barry set during the First World War.
Living authors
- Ann Rinaldi, writing YA historical fiction; (Time Enough For Drums, A Break with Charity. Ann Rinaldi (b August 27, 1934, in New York City is a young adult fiction author She writes usually with female protagonists in the first person, set in Colonial - Civil War era America or WW1 era. Critically acclaimed and admired.
- Writing as "William Irish," Cornell Woolrich published Waltz into Darkness (1947), set in 1880 New Orleans. Cornell George Hopley-Woolrich ( December 4, 1903 — September 25, 1968) was an American novelist and short story writer Cornell George Hopley-Woolrich ( December 4, 1903 — September 25, 1968) was an American novelist and short story writer Year 1880 ( MDCCCLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana Interestingly, both film versions — François Truffaut's La Sirène du Mississippi (Mississippi Mermaid, 1969) and Michael Cristofer's Original Sin (2001) — place the action at a later time (and elsewhere). François Roland Truffaut ( February 6 1932 – October 21 1984) was one of the founders of the French New Wave in filmmaking Mississippi Mermaid ( La sirène du Mississippi) ( 1969) is a French film directed by François Truffaut. Michael Ivan Cristofer is an American Playwright. He was born January 22, 1945 in Trenton New Jersey. Original Sin is a 2001 movie starring Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas.
- Albert A. Bell, Jr. writes mysteries set in the Roman Empire with Pliny the younger as sleuth and Tacitus as sidekick. See All Roads Lead to Murder. http://www.albertbell.com/
- T.C. Boyle's The Road to Wellville (1993), set in 1907, tells the story of Dr. T Coraghessan Boyle (also known as TC Boyle, born Thomas John Boyle on December 2, 1948) is a U The Road to Wellville is a 1993 Novel by American author T Coraghessan Boyle. Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year John Harvey Kellogg, inventor of cornflakes, and his Battle Creek Sanitarium. John Harvey Kellogg ( February 26, 1852 &ndash December 14, 1943) was an American Medical doctor in Battle Creek Corn flakes are a popular Breakfast cereal originally manufactured by Kellogg's through the treatment of corn.
- Colleen McCullough has written the famous Masters of Rome series which deals with the end of the great Roman Republic and great personalities like Caesar, Gaius Marius and Sulla. Colleen McCullough AO (born 1 June 1937 is an internationally acclaimed Australian author
- John Jakes has written the best-selling North and South Trilogy on the life and times of members of two families during the American Civil war and also The Kent Family Chronicles. John William Jakes (born on March 31, 1932) is a Writer of Fiction.
- Gillian Bradshaw, a classical scholar, writes historical fiction set in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, the Duchy of Brittany, the Byzantine Empire, Saka & the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, Imperial Rome, Sub-Roman Britain and Roman Britain. Gillian Marucha Bradshaw (born May 14, 1956) is an American writer of historical fiction, Historical fantasy, Children's literature "Classical literature" redirects here For literature in Classical languages outside the Graeco-Roman sphere see Ancient literature. Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca The Sakas ( English form of Old Iranian Sakā, Nominative plural masculine case; Ancient Greek Σάκαι, The Gr(aeco-Bactrian Kingdom was the easternmost part of the Hellenistic world covering Bactria and Sogdiana in Central Asia from 250 The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Sub-Roman Britain is a term derived from an Archaeologists ' label for the material culture of Britain in Late Antiquity. Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410 Married to a Mathematical physics professor, she also writes contemporary novels with a strong scientific background. Mathematical physics is the scientific discipline concerned with the interface of Mathematics and Physics. The meaning of the word professor ( Latin: professor, person who professes to be an expert in some art or science teacher of highest rank) varies
- Kazuo Ishiguro's novel The Remains of the Day (1989), set in 1956, explains in flashbacks the dubious history of (fictitious) 1930s Darlington Hall and its association with Nazi Germany. Kazuo Ishiguro (カズオ・イシグロ ( Kazuo Ishiguro) or ja 石黒 一雄 ( Ishiguro Kazuo) born November 8, 1954) is a British The Remains of the Day ( 1989) is the third published Novel by Japanese-British author Kazuo Ishiguro. Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In history film television and other media a flashback (also called analepsis) is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers
- Patrick Redmond's The Wishing Game (1999) provides a thrilling depiction of life in a strict and uncanny boarding school in 1950s rural Norfolk, England. Patrick Redmond (born 1966, England) went to school in England and the Channel Islands, and studied law at the University of Leicester, as well The Wishing Game is a psychological Suspense novel by Patrick Redmond. A boarding school is a School where some or all pupils not only study but also live during term time with their fellow students and possibly teachers The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive Norfolk (ˈnɔrfək is a low-lying county in East Anglia, England, United Kingdom.
- Julie Myerson's novel Laura Blundy (2000) is set in Victorian London. Julie Myerson (born June 2, 1960) is an English novelist and sometime critic born in Nottingham. Laura Blundy ( 2000) is a Historical novel by Julie Myerson set in Victorian London. Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901 was from 20 June 1837 the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Bernard Cornwell is one of today's best-known historical novelists, with his Sharpe and The Warlord Chronicles. Bernard Cornwell OBE (born February 23, 1944) is a prolific and popular English Historical novelist He is best known for his Richard Sharpe is the central character in Bernard Cornwell 's Sharpe series of Historical fiction stories The Warlord Chronicles is a Trilogy of books about Arthurian Britain written by Bernard Cornwell (perhaps best known for his Richard
- Conn Iggulden is also a well known historical-fiction author of the widely acclaimed Emperor series, though it should be noted that his work is extraordinarily inaccurate. Conn Iggulden is a British Author, who mainly writes Historical fiction.
- Jonathan Coe's novel The Rotters' Club (2001) evokes 1970s Britain. Jonathan Coe, born 19 August 1961 in Birmingham, is a British novelist and writer The Rotters' Club is a 2001 novel written by Jonathan Coe, set in Birmingham during the 1970s This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970.
- Cecelia Holland has written over twenty novels set in various parts of Europe, Asia and the United States in many periods. Cecelia Anastasia Holland is an American Historical novelist Biography She was born December 31, 1943 in Henderson
- The bulk of Gore Vidal's novels have historical settings, including Burr, which has gained a wider readership than any biography of Aaron Burr. Gore Vidal (born October 3 1925 ˌgɔər vɪˈdɑːl or /vɪˈdæl/ is an American Novelist, Screenwriter, Playwright, Burr A Novel is a Historical novel by Gore Vidal published in 1973 This article discusses Aaron Burr (1756-1836 the US politician
- Neal Stephenson's series The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, and The System of the World), published in 2003 and 2004, deals with the rise of the scientific worldview and the beginnings of modern capitalism in late 17th and early 18th century Europe. Neal Town Stephenson (born October 31, 1959) is an American writer known primarily for his Science fiction works in the Postcyberpunk genre The Baroque Cycle is a series of novels written by Neal Stephenson. Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson is the first volume of his series The Baroque Cycle. The Confusion is a Novel by Neal Stephenson. It is the second volume in The Baroque Cycle. The System of the World, a Novel by Neal Stephenson, forms the third volume in The Baroque Cycle.
- The James Reasoner Civil War Series is a 10-volume set of historical novels set in Culpeper, Virginia. The American Civil War Battle Series by author James Reasoner is a ten volume series of historical novels about the American Civil War.
- Amita Kanekar's A Spoke in the Wheel is a novel about the Buddha and his disciples, that alternates between the time of the Buddha, i. Amita Kanekar is a Mumbai -based writer whose well-received debut novel A Spoke in the Wheel was published by Harper Collins Publishers India Amita Kanekar is a Mumbai -based writer whose well-received debut novel A Spoke in the Wheel was published by Harper Collins Publishers India Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder e. about 566 BCE, and the time of Ashoka the Great, i. Ashoka ( Devanāgarī: अशोकः IAST: Aśokaḥ, aɕoːkə(hə Prakrit Imperial title Devanampriya Priyadarsi e. about 250 BCE.
- Marianne Curley. Marianne Curley, (b 20 May 1959) is an Australian Author best known for her Guardians Her books Old Magic and the Guardians of Time Trilogy all take place partially in the past. The Guardians of Time Trilogy is a series of novels written by Marianne Curley.
- Umberto Eco's novels, most notably his most famous, The Name of the Rose, are historical novels, taking place in Medieval or Early Modern Europe. Umberto Eco (born 5 January 1932 is an Italian Medievalist, semiotician, Philosopher, literary critic and Novelist, best The Name of the Rose, a novel by Umberto Eco, is a Historical whodunnit — a Murder mystery set in an Italian Monastery
- Marie-Elena John is a Caribbean writer whose debut novel Unburnable gives a slice of social history of the Caribbean, focusing on the African origins of Caribbean culture. Marie-Elena John (born 1963 is a Caribbean writer whose first novel Unburnable, was published in 2006 Unburnable, a novel published in 2006 by HarperCollins /Amistad was penned by Caribbean writer Marie-Elena John (born in Antigua) who spent
- Arturo Pérez-Reverte is the Spanish author of the Captain Alatriste novels and other historical novels. Arturo Pérez-Reverte (November 25 1951 Cartagena Spain) is a Spanish Novelist and Journalist. Captain Alatriste (es '''''El capitán Alatriste''''' is a series of novels by Spanish author Arturo Pérez-Reverte.
- Robert Harris has written three historical novels so far: Enigma, set in World War II, and Pompeii and Imperium, both set in Ancient Rome. Robert Dennis Harris (born March 7, 1957 in Nottingham) is a best-selling English Novelist. Enigma is a novel by Robert Harris, about Tom Jericho a young mathematician trying to break the Germans' " Enigma " ciphers during World War World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Pompeii is a Novel by Author and Journalist Robert Harris published by Random House in 2003. Imperium is a 2006 novel by Robert Harris. It is a fictionalised biography of Cicero, told through the first-person narrator of his secretary Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC
- Courtney Thomas' Walls of Phantoms accurately documents the daily news events of 1989 - including providing the historical framework of what lead to these events - in this meticulously wrought epic.
- Anurag kumar's Recalcitrance set in the Great Uprising or 'mutiny' of 1857
- Thomas Pynchon's three most major novels are all historical, and they variously contrast outrageous personal, subjective, hallucinogenic or even supernatural events with very real, well-researched accuracies from the past: Gravity's Rainbow, Mason & Dixon and Against the Day. Thomas Ruggles Pynchon Jr (born May 8 1937 is an American writer based in New York City, noted for his dense and complex works of Fiction. Gravity's Rainbow is an epic postmodern novel written by Thomas Pynchon and first published on February 28 1973. Mason & Dixon, an epic postmodernist novel by Thomas Pynchon first published in 1997 centers on the collaboration of the historical Charles Mason Against the Day is a Novel by Thomas Pynchon. The Narrative takes place between the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and the time immediately
- Tim Powers's novels, or many of them, for example Declare, are meticulously researched historical novels which slip supernatural factors into the aspects of the history which are un-documented or little known. Timothy Thomas Powers (born February 29, 1952) is an American Science fiction and fantasy author Declare ( 2001) is a Supernatural spy novel by Tim Powers. It presents a Secret history of the Cold war in which an
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. Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. György Lukács (pronounced in IPA dyɶrdyə ˈlukɑtʃ) ( April 13, 1885 – June 4, 1971) was a Hungarian In 1937's der historische Roman, published originally in Russian, Lukács developed critical readings of several historical novels by authors including Keller, Dickens, and Flaubert. For him, the advent of the "genuinely" historical novel at the beginning of the 19th century is to be read in terms of two developments, or processes. First, the development of a specific genre in a specific medium: the development of the historical novel's unique stylistic and narrative elements. Secondly, the development of of a representative, organic artwork capable of capturing the fractures, contradictions, and problems of the particular productive mode of its time [i. e. developing, early, entrenched capitalism].
See also
- Georg Lukács
- Historical fiction
- List of historical novelists
- List of historical novels
- Historical whodunnit
- Historical romance
- Family saga
- Middle Ages in history
- Alternative history
- Historical fantasy
External links
- Historical Fiction - Forums and Readers Groups on Historical Fiction
- The Historical Novel Society - An international organization for historical fiction writers and readers
- HistFiction.net - A comprehensive list with historical novelists
- A Guide to the Best Historical Novels and Tales (1902) (Project Gutenberg etext)
- An annotated list of historical novels for children and teens
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