Or, “Everything I Know About History I Learned From Literature”
This is one of the most difficult posts on genres and tropes I’ve written yet, probably because it’s mostly “genre” and not much “trope.”
Historical fiction deals with fictional characters placed in a historical setting. You have practically limitless possibilities here, as long as you’re willing to do the research necessary to do justice to your subject.
You could choose a “major historical event” such as the Nazi Holocaust, the Russian Revolution, or the American Civil War and place your characters in or near the action. Your characters can be “ordinary” people caught up in extraordinary circumstances or they can be friends or acquaintances with some major historical figures of the time in which your story is set. Most authors opt for the “ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances” trope because this presents much less difficulty (both of fact and of logistics) than, for example, creating a character who’s a BFF for Eva Braun.
This is one of the most difficult posts on genres and tropes I’ve written yet, probably because it’s mostly “genre” and not much “trope.”
Historical fiction deals with fictional characters placed in a historical setting. You have practically limitless possibilities here, as long as you’re willing to do the research necessary to do justice to your subject.
You could choose a “major historical event” such as the Nazi Holocaust, the Russian Revolution, or the American Civil War and place your characters in or near the action. Your characters can be “ordinary” people caught up in extraordinary circumstances or they can be friends or acquaintances with some major historical figures of the time in which your story is set. Most authors opt for the “ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances” trope because this presents much less difficulty (both of fact and of logistics) than, for example, creating a character who’s a BFF for Eva Braun.
Most of the best historical fiction comes from the Young Adult category (one moment please, while I step behind my brickbat shield). Most historical fiction for adults seems to be limited mainly to stories set during history’s many wars or historical bodice-rippers with only a glance at actual historical events. Young adults, on the other hand, have so many more choices and historical topics to choose from. It’s a fantastic, sneaky way to get kids to read about history. And not all the books deal with specific historical events. Karen Cushman’s books (among them are Catherine, Called Birdy and The Midwife’s Apprentice) deal with everyday life for the ordinary people of the setting she’s chosen. Unlike historical romance, Cushman accurately portrays times when disease was rampant, superstition ruled, all but the highest echelon of society were illiterate, child mortality was high, and hygiene and sanitation were, if not ignored, certainly misunderstood.
To make the characters relatable to modern audiences, authors often give their characters more modern or progressive sensibilities. Sometimes rebellion against the system is portrayed: The slave boy on the plantation who is secretly taught to read and write by the plantation owner’s daughter. The woman who shows up at the polls (pre-1920 if you’re American) and attempts to cast a vote. Any kind of interracial romance at a time when it was illegal.
Unfortunately, America’s push to improve math and science education has caused schools to neglect and even ignore history education. We have to hope that people will read the novel and then look up more on the subject, and reading of historical fiction is an excellent place to start. Scott Westerfeld, author of the Leviathan series, a steampunk alternate history of World War I Europe, included afterwords in all three books, telling what the actual facts were and in what ways he tweaked them to make his story work. I thought this was a great idea, since a student once asked me, after reading the first book, “How come we don’t have this technology today if they had it in 1914?” I suggested he get his geek on and read the afterword. But the best result was the spontaneous class discussion of the Versailles Treaty that came afterward.
Choose your setting carefully and research extensively--even the information you don’t plan to use. Deep knowledge and understanding of your subject matter will show in your writing. Most of the time, the actual story is far more interesting than the crap added for the movie version. Your book may be the only source of knowledge your reader will have about that particular historical topic, so trust your readers and trust your subject.
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