My favorite genre is historical fiction - I’ve been drawn to it ever since I was a little girl. What I find most intriguing about that genre is how it allows me to “go back in time” to a completely different period with customs that may be the exact opposite of my current time period.
However, there are many who don’t like historical fiction because it’s not always accurate, and as person who majored in history, I guess I get that. Granted, when I personally want accuracy, I’m not going to resort to a piece of fiction to fulfill that need. It also depends on what a person is expecting a work of historical fiction to achieve and within the genre, there are different narratives.
For example, Outlander by, Diana Gabaldon is actually categorized as sci-fi, but the main character goes back in time to Scotland, in the 1740s, right before the last Jacobite rebellion. The reader is entirely engrossed in this political atmosphere, yet Gabaldon has created her own world, in which her particular narrative can thrive. Yes, she uses a lot of the historical climate at the time to shape the narrative, but this is the land of Outlander and it’s not going to be the most accurate and it operates on its own set of rules. It’s supposed to have an air of fantasy.
Then there are historical fiction narratives like Ross Poldark by, Winston Graham that take place in the past, and the reader is entirely engrossed in the world of mainly fictional characters, with a few notable historical persons and events, but it’s mainly about the life of the characters within this setting. There is no mystical realism, the reader is completely transplanted back in time to a world that is entirely believable. These are the type of historical novels that I’d define as “cozy,” in which the life just seems to take place and I find them to be the most relatable.
Lastly, are the novels in which the author takes a specific person in history and then shapes a narrative around that person. Even if the author does a lot of research, there will be gaps and this allows the author to out their own spin on that historical figure and the world around them, especially in instances where the historical figure is quite obscure, like Anya Seton’s Katherine. Not much is known about Katherine; we mainly know that she was the mistress of the Duke of Lancaster and because of their affair and eventual marriage, they are descendants of the Tudor line. Seton was able to make this story her own because she didn’t have that much material to work with. Alison Weir’s The 6 Wives of Henry VIII fictional series and Mary Renault’s trilogy about Alexander the Great are known for the amount to research and accurate detail that has gone into their novels and they hd access to a lot sources. I really enjoy novels like these because it’s interesting to see what the author fabricated for the purpose of fiction.
When I’m reading a piece of historical fiction, I don’t mind if there are inaccuracies - again, this is a work of fiction. There are exceptions in which there are details that were so blatantly off that it’s was jarring, but other than that, I’m pretty laid back. For me, it’s just enjoyable and fun to become engrossed in another world.
Do you like historical fiction and do you expect it to be accurate? If you don’t like historical fiction, what’s your favorite genre?
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