Anne Marie and Joe

How much time must past for a book to be considered Historical Fiction?

Does the book need to be about a Historical Event?

Does you need to have Famous people from History in the book?

A work of fiction set in a time prior to when it was written. Can contain historical setting, characters, or both.Important tool in the classroom.

Help readers connect to people and situations from the past.

Tend to write about U.S.

American Revolutionary War, Slavery, Civil War, Westward expansion, Immigration, WWII

Many writers are historians and war vets that have gotten into writing.

SettingTakes place in a time removed from the

reader. The writer must bring place and time to life by providing details that are neither romanticized nor distorted but as authentic as possible

PlotThe writer incorporates questions into

the story that the character asks and the story answers

CharactersMostly ordinary people rather

ThemeSignificant not only for the

Historical period but also themes that are relevant today; death, civil rights, prejudice, violence, importance of family and community

Early Historical fiction consisted of adventure stories & had many inaccuracies

Mostly written for adults

Sir Walter Scott is believed to be the first person to write a work of what we now call historical fiction

1930s romanticized, highly idealized views with an over whelming amount of information (Waverly; 1810; Ivanhoe; Little House on the Prairie)

Ornate descriptions, archaic language, lengthy factual passages

1940-1050s More serious works were being written for children

Style: Old—Ornate descriptions archaic

language, lengthy factual passages

New – simplistic and immediacy language that pulls the reader into the story

Subject Matter:

Today’s historical fiction writers are writing more about lesser known events; however there are still not a lot of works about other countries and cultures available to young readers

Historical Fiction series tend to be written for a young audience and feature female protagonist more than male.

Fictionalized Memoirs: Writers who have lived through the bygone era in which they write

Fictionalized Family History: The passing down of family stories from one generation to the other

Fiction based on Research: The writer has no first hand knowledge and must perform research to ensure its authenticity. The bulk of historical fiction for children fits into this category

Literature must not be expected to bear the burden of social studies instruction.

Literature is a fragile medium…it can be easily crushed if forces to bear too heavy an efferent load.

Students will fail to enter the story world on aesthetic terms

Students develop social empathy

A spring board for learning about the past

Engages students in facts from the past that become living, breathing drama

The extensive research that HF writers do provides a rich source of information

While textbooks & expository texts are important sources of background information, children step more easily into the dramatic elements of historical fiction which brings the events of the past to light & allows children to become part of the story thus retaining the memory.

Students need “historical empathy” to develop a historical understanding…historical fiction provides that tool.

Aim for broad coverage

Important sources of background information

Many historical fiction works are full of inaccuracies and idealized views of the past.

Focuses on a single subject and examines it in depth

Allows children to encounter the complexities of historical events

Describes ordinary people catch up in major historical events.

Offers answers to students’ questions about the world

Helps readers develop consciousness of how time and place influence who they are

Children better understand themselves, their community, culture and world

The problems of today can be understood in light of times past