Authors of historical fiction provide readers with a disclaimer that acknowledges that the storylines and facts may not be completely true, that they are the author's interpretation of certain factual events, people, and eras. Isn't this idea of interpreting the facts similar to the job of an academic historian? I think certainly Keith Jenkins would agree with me. He says that the past is gone and there is "no fundamentally correct 'text' of which other interpretations are just variations; variations are all there are."1 Couldn't historical fiction be another one of Jenkins's variations?
I think so. Books like Philippa Gregory's The Constant Princess and Margaret George's The Autobiography of Henry VIII and Carolly Erickson's The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette beautifully describe their respective periods with details of clothing, landscape, leisure time, housing, social conditions and much more. Gregory's Katherine of Aragon often describes her home in Grenada, the Alhambra, with such detail that the reader ca
nnot help but imagine the palace in all its glory with painted murals and beautifully dressed women and men. In George's novel she writes of a banquet for Henry VII and family that consisted of "venison, crayfish, prawns, oysters, mutton, braw, conger-eel, carp, lamprey, swan, crane, quail, dove, partridge, goose, duck, rabbit, fruit custard, lamb, manchet, and so on...."2These authors have inspired me to learn more about the actual historical events that surround the places and people described in the books. After reading about the Alhambra I took steps to learn of its Muslim origins and eventual transfer to Spanish control. George's description of a banquet feast provided me with insight as to Tudor eating habits and festivities. Countless other works of historical fiction have had the same effect.
Historical fiction affects its readers in another way: it teaches them to read with a critical mind. It is important to remember that this genre is indeed fiction. But I would argue that you need to read academic articles and historical non-fiction in the same way. Students and readers must be aware of author bias, contradictory evidence, and fact manipulation.
As a new student of public history it only recently occurred to me that historical fiction novels are a great way to promote history to the public. They are written in such a way that encourages the reader to learn more about the subject at hand. The only thing more that I could ask for is for someone to write Canadian historical fiction. Perhaps a novel based on a band of brave rebels fighting in Lower Canada during the rebellion of 1837 or one that tells of a wild romance between a beautiful native and her coureur des bois on the snowy, cold Canadian frontier.
Either way, any book of historical fiction will continue to be my genre of choice and I can't wait until February 28 when Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl will premier as a major motion picture! YES!
1 Keith Jenkins, Re-thinking History (London: Routledge, 2003), 14.
2 Margaret George, The Autobiography of Henry VIII (New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 1987), 32-33.
7 comments:
Actually I remember as a child reading a children's historical fiction novel based on the rebellion in Upper Canada. I enjoyed it and I believe I kept it. I too love the genre but always read it with that critical eye.
I enjoyed reading your blog and agree with the premise regarding historical fiction. Like Christy I read at least two novels as a child that might be considered historical novels. One I believe was titled The Plains of Abraham. It was the story of a young couple and their families living in Quebec during the days of the Wolfe/Montcalm conflicts. I have since read extensively about the war and visited the Plains in recent years to try and capture the essence of the location. The second novel read as a child, and again I believe the title is Jed's Adventures, was the story of a young boy and his family travelling west to settle in a new land. Both stories have remained in my memory over the decades and affected choices for vacations to try and picture the locale in the days depicted in the novels. I am a published author and recently Saga Books in Calgary published my historical novel, or novel based on history, titled Disaster Legacy available at Amazon.ca. The action takes place in the later part of the 19th century. The storyline eventually brings the principle character to York Factory on Hudson Bay where he begins a new life. Eventually marrying an aboriginal woman and working with early settlers. At the time the west was being settled, the fur trade ending and the railroad was being developed. He works his way to head the first Great Lakes shipping firm. I have never been to many of the places mentioned in the book, but was able to research on line the time and places in history. The research was as exciting as crafting the novel and developing the characters.
Robert Gordon.
you know you've got a date on Feb 28!
I agree that novels such as The Queen's Fool and The Constant Princess open a beneficial window into the past, even if it is sometimes a superficial glimpse. I think there is something to be said for adding more spice to history! Like you, I took my love of historical fiction and went deeper - certain novels encouraged future research, ideas to explore and truths to seek. In the case of Philippa Gregory, she knows her history, but at the same time explains and defends her fiction. She always makes a note to the reader that her novels are based on historical accounts/facts, but that the dialogue and some of the encounters are what she imagined happened. She's knowledgeable, but isn't afraid to be playful, inquisitive and sometimes naughty!
On another note, I am afraid that the movie The Other Boleyn Girl, will not live up to sassy and provocative style of the book! Can Natalie Portman really deliever? Also, the story will now reach a wider audience (those who have not read the book, but are willing to shell out $12 for the movie) who may not question fact from fiction.
Good point Nana about the whole Natalie Portman thing. I'm sure one could write a blog about historical fiction movies too - I agree that since movies reach a wider audience maybe the quality isn't the same.
Hi Sarah!
That was an excellent article, and I absolutely agree with you about the fantastic ability of historic fiction to get people interested in history. That is certainly how I got interested in it (by Morgan Llywellyn's books, actually:)
There are, however, quite a few Canadian historic fiction books that you might be interested in. To name a few:
-"The Birth House" by Ami McKay (about a midwife and takes place in the maritimes at the begininng of the 20th century)
-"Deafening" by Frances Itani (Deaf woman in Ontario during WWI whose hearing husband goes to war - this is truly a beautiful book, I loved it and I think you would too).
-"Consumption" by Kevin Patterson (follows a woman's life from Churchill, Man. to Res school and back, issues around culture, life, etc. in the far north)
-or, if you like Canadian pre-history, there is W. Michael Gear's series on the people who crossed the straight to inhabit Canada
-"Three Day Road" by Joseph Boyden
-"The Other Side of the Bridge" by Mary Lawson
The genre is becoming increasingly popular, especially for young readers (ex. 'Dear Diary' series and anything by Kit Pearson). I have many more I could suggest for you, so if you ever want to take a trip to a bookstore, I'd be more than happy to share them with you. Or, Chapters websire has a "The World Needs More Canada" link that takes you to a list of authors/books about Canada.
:)
Eeeek! Your comment "I agree that since movies reach a wider audience maybe the quality isn't the same" frrrrreaks me right out.
Surely you cannot be saying that because something reaches a wide audience its quality is suspect? Small (elite!) audiences are the ones to get the goods?
Also, movies don't always reach such a big audience. I am thinking specifically of the film Lady Jane, about Lady Jane Grey, the 9 day Queen - that film inspired my teenaged self to get my hands on anything Lady Jane related - and interested in British Royal history in general. I don't think it was a very popular film, or is well-known at all.
However, I still prefer a good historical novel - preferably of the bodice-ripping type - over a film. Gladiator infuriated me because they didn't make the crazy emperor very crazy at all!
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