Historical Fiction

What is historical fiction?

• form of fiction (not true)• based on historical events• authentic settings• characters portrayed in realistic manner• some characters may be actual people from history, but the story is fictional• artistic mix of fiction and historical fact

Historical Fiction is

• A fictional story with real and imaginary characters that takes place during a time in History

• all history contains an element of fiction, or at least speculation. Ask four soldiers about the same battle an hour afterward, and you're likely to get four different recounts of the fight.

• Can you think of a situation where the people involved would all give a different account of what happened?

Setting (time and place)

• Has the author accurately described a particular historical period in the novel? Explain. • Are the details of locale authentic in the novel? • Does the description of the locale fit the historical

period?

Characters

• Are there real historical figures whose names you recognize?• Do the historical figures belong in the period described? • Does a check against the history textbook or biographical

materials show that the historical characters are accurately portrayed? • Are fictional characters in keeping with the historical

setting? • What is characters’ involvement in the historical setting and

events. • How are the historical characters important to the action?

Plot (story line)

• Does the plot focus on a specific historical incident? Explain• Do the historical characters in the novel participate in a

well known historical incident? Explain. • Is the conflict real or fictional? • Do the characters dramatize an eventful moment in the

history of some familiar place?

Theme

• By theme we mean the author’s use of people and events from the past to elucidate some truth about a past era.

Is Titanic historical fiction?What is

• Some of the third class passengers are modeled after real people

• Most of the underwater shots of the Titanic wreckage are real

• Parts of the iceberg did land on the ship’s deck• The band did continue to play as the ship was sinking• As the bridge of the ship sunk below the surface, the first

funnel fell forward into the water, crashing onto some of the swimmers

• Isador and Ida Straus did go down with the ship• The lights did continue to burn even as the ship sunk

What isn’t• Jack and Rose are fictional characters• The love story is fictional• No one disguises himself as a woman to sneak onto a

lifeboat• the Heart of the Ocean diamond is a fictional device

http://youtu.be/AlnkEyc71SM

Is Pirates of the Caribbean Historical Fiction?

What is• Location is accurate• The weapons the pirates used are accurate• The type of ships are accurate

What isn’t• The clothing• The characters• The storyline

http://youtu.be/bnBuemaCSb8

Thirteen-year-old C.J. records in a journal the conditions of the Dust Bowl that cause the Jackson family to leave their farm in Oklahoma and make the difficult journey to California, where they find a harsh life as migrant workers. http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/dustbowl/

A diary account of fourteen-year-old Susanna Fairchild's life in 1849, when her father succumbs to gold fever on the way to establish his medical practice in Oregon after losing his wife and money on their steamship journey from New York. Includes a historical note. http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/gold-fever/videos/journey-out-west.htm

A fictional journal kept by twelve-year-old Augustus Pelletier, the youngest member of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery.

http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/

Summary

• Why do you think the author chose to write about this particular historical episode?

• Is the author revealing any new insights about the historical characters or historical events?

• Why is this considered a historical novel? • Is this novel a good or bad historical novel, based on the previous definition of

historical fiction? • What social condition in history does the novel reveal? • What comment do you think the author is making about this social condition? • How can this social condition be related to contemporary life? • How do the characters reveal the theme? • Does this novel reflect more than one theme? • Is there more than one point of view about the theme(s)?