Historical Fiction

Historical Fiction DefinedOne way to think about this genre is to think of Historical Fiction as the Realistic Fiction of the past. There are several different types of historical fiction.

• The author can create a fictional story about an actual event or a real person. Dangerous Waters: an adventure on the Titanic by Gregory Mone or the classic Johnny Tremain are examples of this type.

• The author might create a fictional character set in the context of a particular time and place as in the books Sarah Plain and Tall or Patrica Palacco’s Pink and Say.

• An author might choose to focus on a social, political or economic concern. Many books have been written about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and the conditions of women working in textile industry. Read Emily Arnold McCully’s picture book The Bobbin Girl for an example of this .

• The author might relate a story loosely based on personal experience or memory. Little House in the Big Woods is an example of this.

Historical Fantasy is one type. These are stories set in the past with a fantastic element. The Cheshire Cheese Cat: a Dickens of a Tale by Carmen Agra Deedy & Randall Wright and Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz are good examples of this form.

Alternate History imagines ‘what would the world be like if something happened differently in history. The Case of the Missing Moonstone by Jordan Stratford and The Inventor’s Secret by Andrea Cremer are two new examples of this intriguing subgenre.

Steampunk is a subgenre of speculative fiction, usually set in an anachronistic Victorian or quasi-Victorian alternate history setting. It could be described ‘What the past would look like if the future had happened sooner.’ It sets the scene as historical fiction but quickly moves into the realm of science fiction, fantasy or horror. For a terrific introduction to this genre check out Steampunk!: an Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant

Some subgenres of Historical Fiction

What are the two most important

elements of Historical Fiction?

Character Analysis• Pay attention to the Character’s Ethics• Decide whether the character’s choices are wise• What is the character’s motivation? • What is the effect of the character’s actions on others? • Pay attention to repeatedly used words that describe the

character• Read between the lines• Is the character well developed-does the character change over

time?• Consider the character in the context of the historical time period.

Should you use modern judgments about the past?• What does the author think? What judgments has the author

made about the characters that he or she has created.

Brainstorm:

Physical characteristics of the charactersTheir thoughts, motives, actions...Their relationships to othersTheir feelingsThe Problems they face

Next create a visual representation of a character from your novel

Accuracy Context Perspective(s) presented

Accuracy

Perspective

Perspective

Book Trailer

Context

Think about the character of Columbus in terms of the context and how the he is depicted in that context

Doubly Historical• The author's perspective is shaped by the era in which he lived.

• The author only has access to the historical research completed before the time the book is published. This shades the way characters and plot are imagined, even if the author’s research was thorough and the author's aim was to present "historical truth."

Sara L. Schwebel, author of Child-Sized History: Fictions of the Past in U.S. Classrooms.

Create a Classroom Museum to Establish Context

Think of at least three significant artifacts from the time period/setting

• Why are these items significant to this character

• Are these items particular to this time period

Primary source materials • a map • Photographs• Posters• Newspaper articles from the time

Student Created Materials • a model airplane• a fictional letter• Imagined diary entries• A diorama

Integrating History with Literature

Week SevenTraditional Literature

3/24 Bring 3 variants of a folktale, myth, epic or legend

3/26 Binders are due adding 2 picture book responses related to your genre project. When you write your genre response consider the guides for evaluating that genre found in the resources that you use for the Genre project. The binder should now have 10 picture book and 4 novel responses, the picture book worksheet and journal entries for your reader

autobiography.

Plan for your Professional Development EventsThe Children’s Literature Festival is April 9-14th