Editing Historical fiction

{{Short description|Genre of fiction, that is set in the past}}
{{Distinguish|Alternate history|Counterfactual history|Non-fiction novel|Pseudohistory}}
{{Main|Romance (prose fiction)|Fiction}}
[[File:Gosselin Hugo 1831 Johannot.jpg|thumb|''[[The Hunchback of Notre-Dame]]'' (''Notre-Dame de Paris'') by [[Victor Hugo]] (1831), a 19th-century example of romantic-historical novel]]
{{Literature}}
'''Historical fiction''' is a literary genre in which a [[fiction]]al plot takes place in the [[Setting (narrative)|setting]] of particular real [[past events|historical events]]. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction [[literature]], it can also be applied to other types of narrative, including [[theatre]], [[opera]], [[Film|cinema]], and [[television]], as well as [[video game]]s and [[graphic novel]]s.

An essential element of historical fiction is that it is set in the past and pays attention to the manners, social conditions and other details of the depicted period.<ref tu'lname="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/search?query=historical+fiction&ct= |title=Search - Encyclopædia Britannica |encyclopedia=Britannica.com |access-date=2013-10-12}}</ref> Authors also frequently choose to explore notable historical figures in these settings, allowing readers to better understand how these individuals might have responded to their environments. The [[historical romance]] usually seeks to romanticize eras of the past. Some subgenres such as [[alternate history]] and [[historical fantasy]] insert intentionally ahistorical or [[Speculative fiction|speculative]] elements into a novel.

Works of historical fiction are sometimes criticized for lack of authenticity because of [[Reader-response criticism|readerly criticism]] or [[Genre|genre expectations]] for accurate period details. This tension between [[historicity|historical authenticity]] and [[fiction]] frequently becomes a point of comment for readers and popular critics, while [[Literary criticism|scholarly criticism]] frequently goes beyond this commentary, investigating the genre for its other thematic and critical interests.

Historical fiction as a contemporary [[Western literature|Western literary]] genre has its foundations in the early-19th-century works of Sir [[Walter Scott]] and his contemporaries in other [[Literature by country|national literatures]] such as the Frenchman [[Honoré de Balzac]], the American [[James Fenimore Cooper]], and later the Russian [[Leo Tolstoy]]. However, the melding of historical and fictional elements in individual works of literature has a long tradition in many cultures; both western traditions (as early as [[Classics|Ancient Greek and Latin literature]]) as well as Eastern, in the form of oral and folk traditions (see [[Myth#Mythology|mythology]] and [[folklore]]), which produced [[Epic poetry|epics]], novels, plays and other fictional works describing history for contemporary audiences.

==Introduction==
Definitions differ as to what constitutes a historical novel. On the one hand the [[Historical Novel Society]] defines the genre as works "written at least fifty years after the events described",<ref>Richard Lee. [http://historicalnovelsociety.org/guides/defining-the-genre/ "Defining the Genre"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711120201/https://historicalnovelsociety.org/guides/defining-the-genre |date=2018-07-11 }}, Historical Novel Society.</ref> while critic Sarah Johnson delineates such novels as "set before the middle of the last [20th] century ... in which the author is writing from research rather than personal experience."<ref>Sarah L. Johnson. ''Historical Fiction: A Guide to the Genre''. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2005, p. 1.</ref> Then again Lynda Adamson, in her preface to the bibliographic reference work ''World Historical Fiction'', states that while a "generally accepted definition" for the historical novel is a novel "about a time period at least 25 years before it was written", she also suggests that some people read novels written in the past, like those of [[Jane Austen]] (1775–1817), as if they were historical novels.<ref>{{cite book|last=Adamson|first=Lynda G.|title=World Historical Fiction|year=1999|publisher=Oryx Press|location=Phoenix, AZ|isbn=9781573560665|page=[https://archive.org/details/worldhistoricalf00adam/page/ xi]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/worldhistoricalf00adam/page/}}</ref>

Historical fiction sometimes encouraged movements of [[romantic nationalism]]. Walter Scott's [[Waverley (novel)|Waverley]] novels created interest in [[Scotland|Scottish]] history and still illuminate it.{{citation needed|date=September 2014}} A series of novels by [[Józef Ignacy Kraszewski]] on the history of [[Poland]] popularized the country's history after it had lost its independence in the [[Partitions of Poland]]. [[Henryk Sienkiewicz]] wrote several immensely popular novels set in conflicts between the Poles and predatory [[Teutonic Knights]], rebelling [[Cossack]]s and invading [[Sweden|Swedes]]. He won the 1905 [[Nobel Prize in literature]]. He also wrote the popular novel ''[[Quo Vadis (novel)|Quo Vadis]]'', which was about [[Nero]]'s [[Roman Empire|Rome]] and the [[early Christianity|early Christians]] and has been adapted several times for film, in [[Quo Vadis (1913 film)|1913]], [[Quo Vadis (1924 film)|1924]], [[Quo Vadis (1951 film)|1951]], [[Quo Vadis (2001 film)|2001]] to only name the most prominent. [[Sigrid Undset]]'s ''[[Kristin Lavransdatter]]'' fulfilled a similar function for [[Norway|Norwegian history]]; Undset later won a [[Nobel Prize for Literature]] (1928).

Many early historical novels played an important role in the rise of European popular interest in the [[Middle Ages in history|history of the Middle Ages]]. [[Victor Hugo]]'s ''[[The Hunchback of Notre-Dame]]'' often receives credit for fueling the movement to preserve the [[Gothic architecture]] of [[France]], leading to the establishment of the ''[[Monuments historiques]]'', the French governmental authority for [[historic preservation]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mappinggothic.org/person/440 |title= Hugo, Victor |website=Mapping Gothic France|access-date=2014-09-14 |archive-date=2018-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106202434/http://www.mappinggothic.org/person/440 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Rita Monaldi]] and [[Francesco Sorti]]'s historical mystery saga ''Imprimateur Secretum Veritas Mysterium'' has increased interest in European history{{citation needed|date=August 2021}} and features famous castrato opera singer [[Atto Melani]] as a detective and spy. Although the story itself is fiction, many of the persona and events are not. The book is based on research by Monaldi and Sorti, who researched information from 17th-century manuscripts and published works concerning the [[Battle of Vienna|siege of Vienna]], [[plague (disease)|the plague]] and [[papacy]] of [[Pope Innocent XI]].<ref>''Imprimatur'', p. 532.</ref>

The genre of the historical novel has also permitted some authors, such as the [[Poland|Polish]] novelist [[Bolesław Prus]] in his sole historical novel, ''[[Faraon|Pharaoh]]'', to distance themselves from their own time and place to gain [[perspective (cognitive)|perspective]] on [[society]] and on the [[human condition]], or to escape the depredations of the [[Censorship|censor]].<ref>Czesław Miłosz, ''The History of Polish Literature'', pp. 299–302.</ref>

In some historical novels, major historic events take place mostly off-stage, while the fictional characters inhabit the world where those events occur. [[Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s ''[[Kidnapped (book)|Kidnapped]]'' recounts mostly private adventures set against the backdrop of the [[Jacobitism|Jacobite]] troubles in [[Scotland]]. [[Charles Dickens]]'s ''[[Barnaby Rudge]]'' is set amid the [[Gordon Riots]], and ''[[A Tale of Two Cities]]'' in the [[French Revolution]].

In some works, the accuracy of the historical elements has been questioned, as in [[Alexandre Dumas, père|Alexandre Dumas]]' 1845 novel ''[[La Reine Margot (novel)|Queen Margot]]''. [[Postmodern]] novelists such as [[John Barth]] and [[Thomas Pynchon]] operate with even more freedom, mixing historical characters and settings with invented history and fantasy, as in the novels ''[[The Sot-Weed Factor (1960 novel)|The Sot-Weed Factor]]'' (1960) and ''[[Mason & Dixon]]'' (1997) respectively. A few writers create historical fiction without fictional characters. One example is the series ''[[Masters of Rome]]'' by [[Colleen McCullough]].

==History==
===History up to 17th century===
[[File:IOC.UTokyo-009910 繡像隋唐演義一百回民國年上海商務印書館排印本 卷首.pdf|thumb|A page from a printed copy of the Chinese historical novel ''Sui Tang yanyi'' (''Romance of the Sui and Tang dynasties'') by Chu Renhuo, collection of the University of Tokyo]]
Historical prose fiction has a long tradition in world literature. Three of the [[Four Classics]] of [[Chinese literature|Chinese novels]] were set in the distant past: [[Shi Nai'an]]'s 14th-century ''[[Water Margin]]'' concerns 12th-century outlaws; [[Luo Guanzhong]]'s 14th-century ''[[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]'' concerns 3rd-century wars which ended the [[Han dynasty]]; [[Wu Cheng'en]]'s 16th-century ''[[Journey to the West]]'' concerns the 7th-century Buddhist pilgrim [[Xuanzang]].<ref>Andrew H. Plaks, ''Four Masterworks of the Ming Novel'' (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1987)</ref> In addition to those, there was a wealth of historical novels that became popular in the literary circles during the Ming and Qing periods in Chinese history; they include [[Feng Menglong]]'s ''[[Dongzhou Lieguo Zhi]]'' (''Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms''), [[:zh:褚人穫|Chu Renhuo]]'s ''[[:zh:隋唐演義|Sui Tang yanyi]]'' (''Romance of the Sui and Tang dynasties''), [[:zh:熊大木|Xiong Damu]]'s ''[[The Generals of the Yang Family#Ming/Qing Dynasty novels: 16th to 19th centuries|Liang Song Nanbei Zhizhuan]]'' (''Records of the Two Songs, South and North'') and ''[[:zh:全漢志傳|Quan han zhi zhuan]]'', [[:zh:楊爾曾|Yang Erzeng]]'s ''[[:zh:東西晉演義|Dong Xi Jin yan yi]]'' (''Romance of the Eastern and Western Jin dynasties''), and Qian Cai's ''[[General Yue Fei|The General Yue Fei]]'', etc.

[[Classical Greek]] novelists were also "very fond of writing novels about people and places of the past".<ref>Margaret Anne Doody, ''The True Story of the Novel''. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1996, p. 27.</ref> ''[[The Iliad]]'' has been described as historic fiction, since it treats historic events, although its genre is generally considered [[epic poetry]].<ref name="BrayfieldSprott2013">{{cite book|author1=Celia Brayfield| author2=Duncan Sprott|title=Writing Historical Fiction: A Writers' and Artists' Companion| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iGmJAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA63|date=5 December 2013|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=978-1-78093-838-7|page=63}}</ref> [[Pierre Vidal-Naquet]] has suggested that [[Plato]] laid the foundations for the historical novel through the myth of [[Atlantis]] contained in his dialogues ''[[Timaeus (dialogue)|Timaeus]]'' and ''[[Critias (dialogue)|Critias]]''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Vidal-Naquet |first1=Pierre |author-link1=Pierre Vidal-Naquet|date=Winter 1992 |title=Atlantis and the Nations |journal=[[Critical Inquiry]] |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=300–326|jstor=1343786|doi=10.1086/448634 |s2cid=162246164 }}</ref> ''[[The Tale of Genji]]'' (written before 1021) is a fictionalized account of Japanese court life about a century prior and its author asserted that her work could present a "fuller and therefore 'truer{{' "}} version of history.<ref name="Starrs2013">{{cite book|author=Roy Starrs|title=Asian Nationalism in an Age of Globalization |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XcS1AQAAQBAJ&pg=PT646|date=23 October 2013|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-134-27869-5|page=646}}</ref>

One of the early examples of the historical novel in Europe is ''[[La Princesse de Clèves]]'', a French novel published anonymously in March 1678. It is regarded by many as the beginning of the modern tradition of the [[psychological fiction|psychological novel]] and as a great work. Its author generally is held to be [[Madame de La Fayette]]. The action takes place between October 1558 and November 1559 at the royal court of Henry II of France. The novel recreates that era with remarkable precision. Nearly every character – except the heroine – is a historical figure. Events and intrigues unfold with great faithfulness to documentary records. In the United Kingdom, the historical novel "appears to have developed" from ''La Princesse de Clèves'', "and then via the [[Gothic novel]]".<ref>J. A. Cuddon ''The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory''. Penguin Books: London, 1999, p.383.</ref> Another early example is ''[[The Unfortunate Traveller]]'' by [[Thomas Nashe]], published in 1594 and set during the reign of [[Henry VIII of England|King Henry VIII]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MJAdBQAAQBAJ&q=%22the+Unfortunate+Traveller%22+%22historical+fiction%22&pg=PA151|title=Sidney to Milton, 1580-1660|isbn=9781403937926|last1=Wynne-Davies|first1=Marion|date=25 November 2002|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

===19th century===
[[File:War and Peace book.JPG|thumb|[[War and Peace]] by Leo Tolstoy, published 1869 and set 60 years before]]
Historical fiction rose to prominence in Europe during the early 19th century as part of the [[Romanticism|Romantic]] reaction to the [[The Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]], especially through the influence of the Scottish writer [[Walter Scott|Sir Walter Scott]], whose works were immensely popular throughout Europe. Among his early European followers we can find [[Willibald Alexis]], [[Theodor Fontane]], [[Bernhard Severin Ingemann]], [[Miklós Jósika]], [[Mór Jókai]], [[Jacob van Lennep|Jakob van Lennep]], [[Carl Jonas Love Almqvist]], [[Viktor Rydberg|Victor Rydberg]], [[Andreas Munch]], [[Alessandro Manzoni]], [[Alfred de Vigny]], [[Honoré de Balzac]] or [[Prosper Mérimée]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Aust|first=Hugo|date=1994|title=Der historische Roman|pages=63–84|doi=10.1007/978-3-476-03977-4|isbn=978-3-476-10278-2}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=Moretti, Franco.|title=Atlas of the European novel, 1800-1900|date=1999|pages=34–35|publisher=Verso|isbn=1-85984-224-0|oclc=778577173}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Geppert|first=Hans Vilmar|title=Der historisch Gegenwart|date=2009|publisher=Francke|isbn=978-3-7720-8325-9|pages=8–101|oclc=516135008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Granlid|first=Hans Olof|title=Då som nu: historiska romaner i översikt och analys|date=1964|publisher=Natur och Kultur|pages=46–65|oclc=247481387}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Kulturmøter i nordisk samtidslitteratur: festskrift til Per Thomas Andersen|last=Andersen|first=Per Thomas|editor1-last=Dingstad|editor1-first=Ståle|editor2-last=Norheim|editor2-first=Thorstein|editor3-last=Rees|editor3-first=Ellen|year=2014|isbn=978-82-7099-778-7|publisher=Novus|location=Oslo|oclc=897358174}}</ref> [[Jane Porter]]'s 1803 novel ''[[Thaddeus of Warsaw]]'' is one of the earliest examples of the historical novel in English and went through at least 84 editions,<ref name=loooser>Looser, Devoney. ''Women Writers and Old Age in Great Britain, 1750–1850'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=g-XO9ktIN9YC&pg=PA157 pp. 157 ff.] JHU Press, 2010. {{ISBN|978-1-4214-0022-8}}. Accessed 30 September 2013.</ref> including translation into French and German.<ref name=lasko>Laskowski, Maciej. "[https://repozytorium.amu.edu.pl/jspui/bitstream/10593/2424/1/rozprawa%20doktorska.pdf Jane Porter's ''Thaddeus of Warsaw'' as evidence of Polish&ndash;British relationships] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928045757/https://repozytorium.amu.edu.pl/jspui/bitstream/10593/2424/1/rozprawa%20doktorska.pdf |date=2013-09-28 }}". Instytucie Filologii Angielskiej (Poznan), 2012. Accessed 26 September 2013.</ref><ref>McLean, Thomas. "[https://www.jstor.org/stable/40339581 Nobody's Argument: Jane Porter and the Historical Novel] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507223649/http://www.jstor.org/stable/40339581 |date=2016-05-07 }}". ''Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies'', Vol. 7, No. 2 (Fall&ndash;Winter, 2007), pp. 88&ndash;103. University of Pennsylvania Press. Accessed 26 September 2013.</ref><ref>Anessi, Thomas. "[https://www.academia.edu/346935/Englands_Future_Polands_Past_History_and_National_Identity_In_Thaddeus_of_Warsaw England's Future/Poland's Past: History and National Identity In ''Thaddeus of Warsaw''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171109203221/http://www.academia.edu/346935/Englands_Future_Polands_Past_History_and_National_Identity_In_Thaddeus_of_Warsaw |date=2017-11-09 }}". Accessed 26 September 2013.</ref> The first true historical novel in English was in fact [[Maria Edgeworth]]'s ''[[Castle Rackrent]]'' (1800).<ref>''The Oxford Companion to English Literature'' (1985), ed. [[Margaret Drabble]], Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996, p.310.</ref>

In the 20th century [[György Lukács]] argued that Scott was the first fiction writer who saw history not just as a convenient frame in which to stage a contemporary narrative, but rather as a distinct social and cultural setting.<ref name = Lukcas15-29>Lukacs 15-29</ref> Scott's [[History of Scotland|Scottish]] novels such as ''[[Waverley (novel)|Waverley]]'' (1814) and ''[[Rob Roy (novel)|Rob Roy]]'' (1817) focused upon a middling character who sits at the intersection of various social groups in order to explore the development of society through conflict.<ref name = Lukacs31-38>Lukacs 31-38</ref> ''[[Ivanhoe]]'' (1820) gained credit for renewing interest in the [[Middle Ages]].

Many well-known writers from the United Kingdom published historical novels in the mid 19th century, the most notable include [[William Makepeace Thackeray|Thackeray]]'s ''[[Vanity Fair (novel)|Vanity Fair]]'', [[Charles Dickens]]'s ''[[A Tale of Two Cities]]'', [[George Eliot]]'s ''[[Romola]]'', and [[Charles Kingsley]]'s ''[[Westward Ho! (novel)|Westward Ho!]]'' and ''[[Hereward the Wake (novel)|Hereward the Wake]]''. ''[[The Trumpet-Major]]'' (1880) is [[Thomas Hardy]]'s only historical novel, and is set in [[Weymouth, Dorset|Weymouth]] during the [[Napoleonic wars]],<ref name="Taylor xx">Taylor xx</ref> when the town was then anxious about the possibility of invasion by Napoleon.<ref name=dorsetlife>{{cite web|title=Hardy and the Trumpet Major|url=http://www.dorsetlife.co.uk/2010/12/hardy-and-the-trumpet-major/|publisher=Dorset Life|access-date=1 December 2013|year=2010}}</ref>

In the United States, the first historical novelist was [[Samuel Woodworth]], who wrote ''The Champions of American Freedom'' in 1816.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Letter | first = Joseph J. | year = 2010 | title = Past Presentisms: Suffering Soldiers, Benjaminian Ruins, and the Discursive Foundations of Early U.S. Historical Novels | journal = American Literature | volume = 82 | issue = 1 | pages = 31–32 | doi = 10.1215/00029831-2009-068 | url = https://doi.org/10.1215/00029831-2009-068}}</ref> [[James Fenimore Cooper]] was better known for his historical novels and was influenced by Scott.<ref name = Lukacs69-72>Lukacs 69-72</ref> His most famous novel is ''[[The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757]]'' (1826), the second book of the ''[[Leatherstocking Tales]]'' pentalogy.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=eKNK1YwHcQ4C&pg=PA661 ''Last of the Mohicans, The'']. In: ''Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature''. Merriam-Webster, 1995, {{ISBN|0877790426}}, p.661</ref> ''The Last of the Mohicans'' is set in 1757, during the [[French and Indian War]] (the [[Seven Years' War]]), when France and [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] battled for control of North America. Cooper's chief rival,<ref>{{Cite book | publisher = University of Chicago Press | isbn = 0-226-46969-7 | last = Lease | first = Benjamin | title = That Wild Fellow John Neal and the American Literary Revolution | location = Chicago, Illinois | year = 1972 | page = 39}}</ref> [[John Neal]], wrote ''[[Rachel Dyer]]'' (1828), the first bound novel about the 17th-century [[Salem witch trials]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Sears | first = Donald A. | title = John Neal | publisher = Twayne Publishers | location = Boston, Massachusetts | year = 1978 | isbn = 080-5-7723-08 | page = 82}}</ref> ''Rachel Dyer'' also influenced future American fiction set in this period, like ''[[The Scarlet Letter]]'' (1850) by [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]]<ref>{{cite book | last = Kayorie | first = James Stephen Merritt | editor1-last = Baumgartner | editor1-first = Jody C. | chapter = John Neal (1793-1876) | page = 90 | title = American Political Humor: Masters of Satire and Their Impact on U.S. Policy and Culture | publisher = ABC-CLIO | location = Santa Barbara, California | year = 2019 | isbn = 9781440854866}}</ref> which is one of the most famous 19th-century American historical novels.<ref>{{cite news |publisher=National Public Radio (NPR) |date=March 2, 2008|work=Weekend All Things Considered |title=Sinner, Victim, Object, Winner {{pipe}} ANCHORS: JACKI LYDEN |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87805369|quote="masterwork"}}</ref> Set in 17th-century [[Puritan]] Boston, Massachusetts during the years 1642 to 1649, it tells the story of [[Hester Prynne]], who conceives a daughter through an affair and struggles to create a new life of [[repentance]] and dignity.
In French literature, the most prominent inheritor of Scott's style of the historical novel was [[Balzac]].<ref>Lukacs 92-96</ref> In 1829 Balzac published ''[[Les Chouans]]'', a historical work in the manner of Sir Walter Scott.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/balzac.htm |title=Honoré de Balzac |work=Books and Writers|first=Petri |last=Liukkonen |publisher=[[Kuusankoski]] Public Library |location=Finland |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924072443/http://kirjasto.sci.fi/balzac.htm |archive-date=24 September 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This was subsequently incorporated into ''[[La Comédie Humaine]]''. The bulk of ''La Comédie Humaine'', however, takes place during the [[Bourbon Restoration in France|Bourbon Restoration]] and the [[July Monarchy]], though there are several novels which take place during the [[French Revolution]] and others which take place of in the Middle Ages or the Renaissance, including ''About Catherine de Medici'' and ''The Elixir of Long Life''.

[[Victor Hugo]]'s ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]'' (1831) furnishes another 19th-century example of the romantic-historical novel. Victor Hugo began writing ''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' in 1829, largely to make his contemporaries more aware of the value of the [[Gothic architecture]], which was neglected and often destroyed to be replaced by new buildings, or defaced by replacement of parts of buildings in a newer style.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.reims-cathedral.culture.fr/restoration-in-france.html |title=Notre-Dame Cathedral of Reims |access-date=2014-12-27 |archive-date=2014-12-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141227152601/http://www.reims-cathedral.culture.fr/restoration-in-france.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The action takes place in 1482 and the title refers to the [[Notre Dame de Paris|Notre Dame Cathedral]] in Paris, on which the story is centered. [[Alexandre Dumas]] also wrote several popular historical fiction novels, including ''[[The Count of Monte Cristo]]'' and ''[[The Three Musketeers]]''. [[George Saintsbury]] stated: "''Monte Cristo'' is said to have been at its first appearance, and for some time subsequently, the most popular book in Europe."<ref>Alexandre Dumas, ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' 2004, Barnes & Noble Books, New York. {{ISBN|978-1-59308-151-5}},  p. 601</ref> This popularity has extended into modern times as well. The book was "translated into virtually all modern languages and has never been out of print in most of them. There have been at least twenty-nine motion pictures based on it&nbsp;... <!-- the omitted phrase is "(many in the silent era, but one as recently as 2002)" -->as well as several television series, and many movies [have] worked the name 'Monte Cristo' into their titles."<ref>Alexandre Dumas, ''The Count of Monte Cristo'', p. xxiv.</ref>

Tolstoy's ''[[War and Peace]]'' offers an example of 19th-century historical fiction used to critique contemporary history. Tolstoy read the standard histories available in Russian and French about the [[Napoleonic Wars]], and used the novel to challenge those historical approaches. At the start of the novel's third volume, he describes his work as blurring the line between fiction and history, in order to get closer to the truth.<ref name = Pevear>Pevear, Richard. "Introduction". War and Peace. Trans. Pevear; Volokhonsky, Larissa. New York City, New York: Vintage Books, 2008.</ref> The novel is set 60 years before it was composed, and alongside researching the war through primary and secondary sources, he spoke with people who had lived through war during the [[French invasion of Russia]] in 1812; thus, the book is also, in part, [[ethnography]] fictionalized.<ref name = Pevear/>

''[[The Charterhouse of Parma]]'' by [[Stendhal|Marie-Henri Beyle (Stendhal)]] is an epic retelling of the story of an Italian nobleman who lives through the Napoleonic period in Italian history. It includes a description of the [[Battle of Waterloo]] by the principal character. Stendhal fought with Napoleon and participated in the [[French invasion of Russia]].

''[[The Betrothed (Manzoni novel)|The Betrothed]]'' (1827) by [[Alessandro Manzoni]] has been called the most famous and widely read novel of the Italian language.<ref name=" Archibald Colquhoun 1954">Archibald Colquhoun. ''Manzoni and his Times.'' J. M. Dent & Sons, London, 1954.</ref> ''The Betrothed'' was inspired by Walter Scott's ''Ivanhoe'' but, compared to its model, shows some innovations (two members of the lower class as principal characters, the past described without romantic idealization, an explicitly Christian message), somehow forerunning the realistic novel of the following decades.<ref>From Georg Lukàcs, "The Historical Novel" (1969).</ref> Set in northern Italy in 1628, during the oppressive years under Spanish rule, it is sometimes seen as a veiled attack on Austria, which controlled the region at the time the novel was written.

The critical and popular success of ''The Betrothed'' gave rise to a crowd of imitations and, in the age of [[Italian unification|unification]], almost every Italian writer tried his hand at the genre; novels now almost forgotten, like ''[[Marco Visconti (novel)|Marco Visconti]]'' by [[Tommaso Grossi]] (Manzoni's best friend) or ''[[Ettore Fieramosca (novel)|Ettore Fieramosca]]'' by [[Massimo D'Azeglio]] (Manzoni's son-in-law), were the best-sellers of their time. Many of these authors, such as [[Niccolò Tommaseo]], [[Francesco Domenico Guerrazzi]] and D'Azeglio himself, were patriots and politicians too, and in their novels, the veiled politic message of Manzoni became explicit (the hero of ''Ettore Fieramosca'' fights to defend the honor of the Italian soldiers, mocked by some arrogant Frenchmen). In them, the narrative talent not equaled the patriotic passion, and their novels, full of rhetoric and melodramatic excesses, are today barely readable as historical documents. A significant exception is ''The Confessions of an Italian'' by [[Ippolito Nievo]], an epic about the [[Republic of Venice|Venetian republic]]'s fall and the [[Napoleonic Wars|Napoleonic age]], told with satiric irony and youthful brio (Nievo wrote it when he was 26 years old).

In Arabic literature, the Lebanese writer [[Jurji Zaydan]] (1861–1914) was the most prolific novelist of this genre. He wrote 23 historical novels between 1889 and 1914. His novels played an important in shaping the collective consciousness of modern Arabs during the [[Nahda|Nahda period]] and educated them about their history. ''The Fleeing Mamluk'' (1891), ''The Captive of the Mahdi Pretender'' (1892), and ''Virgin of Quraish'' (1899) are some of his nineteenth-century historical novels.

===20th century===
====Germany====
A major 20th-century example of this genre is the German author [[Thomas Mann]]'s ''[[Buddenbrooks]]'' (1901). This chronicles the decline of a wealthy north German merchant family over the course of four generations, incidentally portraying the manner of life and mores of the [[Hanseaten (class)|Hanseatic]] [[bourgeoisie]] in the years from 1835 to 1877. Mann drew deeply from the history of his own family, the [[Mann family]] of [[Lübeck]], and their milieu. This was Mann's first novel, and with the publication of the 2nd edition in 1903, ''Buddenbrooks'' became a major literary success. The work led to a [[Nobel Prize in Literature]] for Mann in 1929; although the Nobel award generally recognizes an author's body of work, the Swedish Academy's citation for Mann identified "his great novel ''Buddenbrooks''" as the principal reason for his prize.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Nobel Prize in Literature 1929|url=https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1929/| publisher=Nobelprize.org| access-date=November 11, 2012}}</ref> Mann also wrote, between 1926 and 1943, a four-part novel ''[[Joseph and His Brothers]]''. In it Mann retells the familiar biblical stories of [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]], from [[Jacob]] to [[Joseph (Hebrew Bible)|Joseph]] (chapters 27&ndash;50), setting it in the historical context of the reign of [[Akhenaten]] (1353–1336 BC) in [[ancient Egypt]].

In the same era, [[Lion Feuchtwanger]] was one of the most popular and accomplished writers of historical novels, with publications between the 1920s and 1950s. His reputation began with the bestselling work, ''[[Jud Süß (Feuchtwanger novel)|Jud Süß]]'' (1925), set in the eighteenth century, as well as historical novels written primarily in exile in France and California, including most prominently the ''[[Josephus trilogy]]'' set in Ancient Rome (1932 / 1935 / 1942), ''[[Goya (novel)|Goya]]'' (1951), and his novel ''[[Die Jüdin von Toledo|Raquel: The Jewess of Toledo]]'' - set in Medieval Spain.

====Britain====
[[Robert Graves]] of Britain wrote several popular historical novels, including ''[[I, Claudius]]'', ''[[King Jesus (novel)|King Jesus]]'', ''The Golden Fleece'' and ''[[Count Belisarius]]''. [[John Cowper Powys]] wrote two historical novels set in Wales, ''[[Owen Glendower (novel)|Owen Glendower]]'' (1941)<ref>Issued 24 January 1941. Dante Thomas ''A Bibliography of the Principal Writings of John Cowper Powys''</ref> and ''[[Porius (A Romance of the Dark Ages)|Porius]]'' (1951). The first deals with the rebellion of the Welsh Prince [[Owain Glyndŵr]] (AD 1400–16), while ''Porius'' takes place during the Dark Ages, in AD 499, just before the [[Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain|Anglo-Saxon invasion]] of Britain. Powys suggests parallels with these historical periods and Britain in the late 1930s and during [[World War II]].<ref>"Argument" to ''Owen Glendower''. New York: Simon & Schuster, [1941], p.x; "Historic Background to the Year of Grace A.D. 499", ''Porius''. New York: Overlook Duckworth, 2007, p. 18.</ref>

Other significant British novelists include [[Georgette Heyer]], [[Naomi Mitchison]] and [[Mary Renault]]. Heyer essentially established the [[historical romance]] genre and its subgenre [[Regency romance]], which was inspired by [[Jane Austen]]. To ensure accuracy, Heyer collected reference works and kept detailed notes on all aspects of Regency life. While some critics thought the novels were too detailed, others considered the level of detail to be Heyer's greatest asset; Heyer even recreated [[William the Conqueror]]'s crossing into England for her novel ''[[The Conqueror (Heyer novel)|The Conqueror]]''. Naomi Mitchison's finest novel, ''The Corn King and the Spring Queen'' (1931), is regarded by some as the best historical novel of the 20th century.<ref name=elizabeth>{{cite news|last=Longford|first=Elizabeth|author-link = Elizabeth Longford |title=Obituary: Naomi Mitchison|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-naomi-mitchison-1046691.html| access-date=14 May 2014|newspaper=The Independent|date=13 January 1999}}</ref> Mary Renault is best known for her historical novels set in [[Ancient Greece]]. In addition to fictional portrayals of [[Theseus]], [[Socrates]], [[Plato]], [[Simonides of Ceos]] and [[Alexander the Great]], she wrote a non-fiction biography of Alexander. ''[[The Siege of Krishnapur]]'' (1973) by [[J. G. Farrell]] has been described as an "outstanding novel".<ref>''The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms'', p.384.</ref> Inspired by events such as the sieges of [[Siege of Cawnpore|Cawnpore]] and [[Siege of Lucknow|Lucknow]], the book details the siege of a fictional Indian town, Krishnapur, during the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]] from the perspective of the town's [[Anglo-Indians|British residents]]. The main characters find themselves subject to the increasing strictures and deprivation of the siege, and the absurdity of maintaining the British class system in a town no one can leave becomes a source of comic invention, though the text is serious in intent and tone.<ref name= "Prusse 2003">{{cite book |last=Prusse|first=Michael C.|title=British and Irish Novelists Since 1960|year=2003 |publisher=Gale|location=[[Detroit]], [[Michigan]] |isbn=978-0-7876-6015-4}}</ref>

In Welsh literature, the major contributor to the genre in Welsh is [[William Owen Roberts]] (b. 1960). His historical novels include ''Y Pla'' (1987), set at the time of the Black Death; ''Paradwys'' (2001), 18th century, concerning the slave trade; and ''Petrograd'' (2008) and ''Paris'' (2013), concerning the Russian revolution and its aftermath. ''Y Pla'' has been much translated, appearing in English as ''Pestilence'', and ''Petrograd'' and ''Paris'' have also appeared in English. A contemporary of Roberts' working in English is [[Christopher Meredith]] (b. 1954), whose ''Griffri'' (1991) is set in the 12th century and has the poet of a minor Welsh prince as narrator.

Nobel Prize laureate [[William Golding]] wrote a number of historical novels. ''[[The Inheritors (William Golding)|The Inheritors]]'' (1955) is set in [[prehistoric]] times, and shows "new people" (generally identified with ''[[Homo sapiens sapiens]]'') triumphing over a gentler race (generally identified with [[Neanderthals]]) by deceit and violence. ''[[The Spire]]'' (1964) follows the building (and near collapse) of a huge spire onto a medieval cathedral (generally assumed to be [[Salisbury Cathedral]]); the spire symbolizing both spiritual aspiration and worldly vanity. ''[[The Scorpion God]]'' (1971) consists of three novellas, the first set in a prehistoric African hunter-gatherer band (''Clonk, Clonk''), the second in an ancient Egyptian court (''The Scorpion God'') and the third in the court of a Roman emperor (''Envoy Extraordinary''). The trilogy ''[[To the Ends of the Earth]]'', which includes the ''Rites of Passage'' (1980), ''Close Quarters'' (1987), and ''Fire Down Below'' (1989), describes sea voyages in the early 19th century. [[Anthony Burgess]] also wrote several historical novels; his last novel, ''[[A Dead Man in Deptford]]'', is about the murder of [[Christopher Marlowe]] in the 16th century.

Though the genre has evolved since its inception, the historical novel remains popular with authors and readers to this day and bestsellers include [[Patrick O'Brian]]'s ''[[Aubrey–Maturin series]]'', [[Ken Follett]]'s ''[[Pillars of the Earth]]'' and [[Dorothy Dunnett]]'s ''[[Lymond Chronicles]]''. A development in British and Irish writing in the past 25 years has been a renewed interest in the [[World War I|First World War]]. Works include [[William Boyd (writer)|William Boyd]]'s ''[[An Ice-Cream War]]''; [[Sebastian Faulks]]' ''[[Birdsong (novel)|Birdsong]]'' and ''[[The Girl at the Lion d'Or]]'' (concerned with the War's consequences); [[Pat Barker]]'s ''[[Regeneration Trilogy]]'' and [[Sebastian Barry]]'s ''[[A Long Long Way]]''.

====United States====
[[File:FifthQueen-cvr archive-org (PD).jpg|thumb|[[The Fifth Queen]], 1906–1908 by [[Ford Madox Ford]], is written about the [[16th century]].]]
American Nobel laureate [[William Faulkner]]'s novel ''[[Absalom, Absalom!]]'' (1936) is set before, during and after the [[American Civil War]]. [[Kenneth Roberts (author)|Kenneth Roberts]] wrote several books set around the events of the American Revolution, of which ''Northwest Passage'' (1937), ''Oliver Wiswell'' (1940) and ''Lydia Bailey'' (1947) all became best-sellers in the [[Publishers Weekly list of bestselling novels in the United States in the 1930s|1930s]] and [[Publishers Weekly list of bestselling novels in the United States in the 1940s|1940s]]. The following American authors have also written historical novels in the 20th century: [[Gore Vidal]], [[John Barth]], [[Norman Mailer]], [[E. L. Doctorow]] and [[William Kennedy (author)|William Kennedy]].<ref>William Harmon and C. Hugh Holman ''A Handbook to Literature''. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996, p.251.</ref> [[Thomas Pynchon]]'s historical novel ''[[Mason & Dixon]]'' (1997) tells the story of the two English surveyors, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, who were charged with marking the boundary between [[Pennsylvania]] and [[Maryland]] in the 18th century.<ref>Adam Mars-Jones [https://www.theguardian.com/books/1997/jun/15/fiction.thomaspynchon How a Quaker gets his oats] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608170648/https://www.theguardian.com/books/1997/jun/15/fiction.thomaspynchon |date=2020-06-08 }} The Guardian 15 June 1997</ref> More recently there have been works such as [[Neal Stephenson]]'s ''[[Baroque Cycle]]'', and Grant Maierhofer's ''[https://www.erratumpress.com/traumnovelle Traumnovelle]'', which imagines the life of Anatoli Bugorski, around the incident wherein he unwittingly stuck his head inside of a particle accelerator in 1978.

====Italy====
In Italy, the tradition of historical fiction has flourished in the modern age, the nineteenth century in particular having caught writers’ interests. Southern Italian novelists like [[Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa]] ([[The Leopard]]), [[Francesco Iovine]] (''Lady Ava''), [[Carlo Alianello]] (''The Heritage of the Prioress'') and more recently [[Andrea Camilleri]] (''The Preston Brewer'') retold the events of the [[Italian Unification]], at times overturning its traditionally heroic and progressive image. The conservative [[Riccardo Bacchelli]] in ''The Devil at the Long Point'' and the communist [[Vasco Pratolini]] in ''[[Metello]]'' described, from ideologically opposite points of view, the birth of [[Socialism in Italy|Italian Socialism]]. Bacchelli also wrote ''[[The Mill on the Po]]'', a patchwork [[Family saga|saga of a family]] of millers from the time of [[Napoleon]] to the [[First World War]], one of the most epic novels of the last century.

In 1980, [[Umberto Eco]] achieved international success with ''[[The Name of the Rose]]'', a novel set in an Italian abbey in 1327 readable as a historical mystery, as an allegory of Italy during the [[Years of Lead (Italy)|Years of Lead]], and as an erudite joke. Eco's work, like Manzoni's preceding it, relaunched Italian interest in historical fiction. Many novelists who till then had preferred the contemporary novel tried their hand at stories set in previous centuries. Among them were [[Fulvio Tomizza]] (''The Evil Coming from North'', about the [[Reformation]]), [[Dacia Maraini]] (''The Silent Duchess'', about the female condition in the eighteenth century), [[Sebastiano Vassalli]] (''The Chimera'', about a [[witch hunt]]), [[Ernesto Ferrero]] (''[[Napoleon|N]]'') and [[Valerio Manfredi]] (''The Last Legion'').

====Bulgaria====
[[Fani Popova–Mutafova]] (1902–1977) was a Bulgarian author who is considered by many to have been the best-selling Bulgarian historical fiction author ever.<ref name="Chance2005">{{cite book|author=Jane Chance| title=Women Medievalists and the Academy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5QrnjT2NT5MC&pg=PA501|year=2005|publisher=Univ of Wisconsin Press|isbn=978-0-299-20750-2|pages=501–}}</ref> Her books sold in record numbers in the 1930s and the early 1940s.<ref name="Chance2005"/> However, she was eventually sentenced to seven years of imprisonment by the Bulgarian communist regime because of some of her writings celebrating [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]], and though released after only eleven months for health reasons, was forbidden to publish anything between 1943 and 1972.<ref name="Segel2012">{{cite book|author=Harold B. Segel|title=The Walls Behind the Curtain: East European Prison Literature, 1945-1990|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WJ8rN0qlOa0C&pg=PA11|date=1 November 2012|publisher=University of Pittsburgh Press| isbn=978-0-8229-7802-2|pages=11–}}</ref> [[Stoyan Zagorchinov]] (1889–1969) also a Bulgarian writer, author of "Last Day, God's Day" trilogy and "[[Ivaylo]]", continuing the tradition in the Bulgarian historical novel, led by [[Ivan Vazov]]. [[Yana Yazova]] (1912–1974) also has several novels that can be considered historical as "''Alexander of Macedon''", her only novel on non-Bulgarian thematic, as well as her trilogy "''Balkani''". [[Vera Mutafchieva]] (1929–2009) is the author of historical novels which were translated into 11 languages.<ref name="Official site of Vera Mutafchieva">{{cite news |url=http://veramutafchieva.net/ |title= Official site of Vera Mutafchieva }}</ref> [[Anton Donchev]] (1930–) is an old living author, whose first independent novel, ''Samuel's Testimony'', was published in 1961. His second book, ''[[Time of Parting]]'', which dealt with the Islamization of the population in the Rhodopes during the XVII century was written in 1964. The novel was adapted in the serial movie "[[Time of Violence]]", divided into two parts with the subtitles ("The Threat" and "The Violence") by 1987 by the director Lyudmil Staykov. In June 2015, "[[Time of Violence]]" was chosen as the most beloved film of Bulgarian viewers in "Laced Shoes of Bulgarian Cinema", a large-scale consultation with the audience of [[Bulgarian National Television]].<ref>[https://www.bnt.bg/bg/a/lachenite-obuvki-na-ba-lgarskoto-kino-35583 "Time of Parting" is the favorite film of Bulgarian viewers "] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021073812/https://bnt.bg/bg/a/lachenite-obuvki-na-ba-lgarskoto-kino-35583 |date=2022-10-21 }}, BNT, 7 June 2015</ref>

====Scandinavia====
One of the best known Scandinavian historical novels is [[Sigrid Undset]]'s ''[[Kristin Lavransdatter]]'' (1920–1922) set in medieval Norway. For this trilogy Undset was awarded the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]] in 1928.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kristin-Lavransdatter Kristin Lavransdatter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611053637/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kristin-Lavransdatter |date=2020-06-11 }} Encyclopedia Britannica</ref> [[Johannes V. Jensen]]'s trilogy ''Kongens fald'' (1900–1901, "The Fall of the King"), set in 16th century Denmark, has been called "the finest historical novel in Danish literature".<ref>Sven Hakon Rossel, ''A History of Danish Literature'', University of Nebraska press 1992, p.305 ff.</ref> The epic historical novel series ''Den lange rejse'' (1908–1921, "The Long Journey") is generally regarded as Jensen's masterpiece and he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1944 partly on the strength of it.<ref>Paul Schellinger ''Encyclopedia of the Novel'', Routledge 2014</ref> The Finnish writer [[Mika Waltari]] is known for the historical novel ''[[The Egyptian]]'' (1945).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://authorscalendar.info/mwaltari.htm|title=Mika Waltari |website=Authors Calendar |first=Petri |last=Liukkonen  |location=Finland }}</ref> Faroes–Danish writer [[William Heinesen]] wrote several historical novels, most notably ''Det gode håb'' (1964, "Fair Hope") set in the [[Faroe Islands]] in 17th century.<ref>Sven Hakon Rossel, ''A History of Danish Literature'', University of Nebraska press 1992, p.565</ref>

Historical fiction has long been a popular genre in Sweden, especially since the 1960s a huge number of historical novels has been written. Nobel laureates [[Eyvind Johnson]] and [[Pär Lagerkvist]] wrote acclaimed historical novels such as ''[[Return to Ithaca (novel)|Return to Ithaca]]'' (1946) and ''[[Barabbas (novel)|Barabbas]]'' (1950). [[Vilhelm Moberg]]'s ''[[Ride This Night]]'' (1941) is set in 16th century [[Småland]] and his widely read novel series ''[[The Emigrants (novel series)|The Emigrants]]'' tells the story of Småland emigrants to the United States in the 19th century. [[Per Anders Fogelström]] wrote a hugely popular series of five historical novels set in his native Stockholm beginning with ''[[City of My Dreams]]'' (1960). Other writers of historical fiction in Swedish literature include [[Sara Lidman]], [[Birgitta Trotzig]], [[Per Olov Enquist]] and [[Artur Lundkvist]].<ref>Susan Brantly ''The Historical Novel, Transnationalism, and the Postmodern Era: Presenting the Past'', Routledge 2017</ref>

====Latin America====
The historical novel was quite popular in 20th century [[Latin American literature]], including works such as ''[[The Kingdom of This World]]'' (1949) by [[Alejo Carpentier]], ''[[I, the Supreme]]'' (1974) by [[Augusto Roa Bastos]], ''[[Terra Nostra (novel)|Terra Nostra]]'' (1975) by [[Carlos Fuentes]], ''News from the Empire'' (1987) by [[Fernando del Paso]], ''[[The Lightning of August]]'' (1964) by [[Jorge Ibargüengoitia]], ''[[The War of the End of the World]]'' (1981) by [[Mario Vargas Llosa]] and ''[[The Autumn of the Patriarch]]'' (1975) by [[Gabriel García Marquez]]. Other writers of historical fiction include [[Abel Posse]], [[Antonio Benitez Rojo]], [[João Ubaldo Ribeiro]], [[Jorge Amado]], [[Homero Aridjis]].<ref>Seymour Menton ''Latin America's New Historical Novel'', University of Texas Press 2010</ref>

===21st century===
In the first decades of the 21st century, an increased interest for historical fiction has been noted. One of the most successful writers of historical novels is [[Hilary Mantel]]. Other writers of historical fiction include [[Philippa Gregory]], [[Bernard Cornwell]], [[Sarah Waters]], [[Ken Follett]], [[George Saunders]], [[Shirley Hazzard]] and [[Julie Orringer]].<ref>Megan O'Grady [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/07/t-magazine/historical-fiction-books.html Why Are We Living in a Golden Age of Historical Fiction?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724104345/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/07/t-magazine/historical-fiction-books.html |date=2020-07-24 }} The New York Times 7 May 2019</ref><ref>De Groot, Jerome ''The Historical Novel'' Introduction, Routledge 2010</ref> The historical novel ''[[The Books of Jacob]]'' set in 18th century Poland has been praised as the [[Masterpiece|magnum opus]] by the [[2018 Nobel Prize in Literature]] laureate [[Olga Tokarczuk]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/feb/26/olga-tokarczuk-the-books-of-jacob-english-translation-polish-nobel-prize |title=Olga Tokarczuk's 'magnum opus' finally gets English release – after seven years of translation |work=The Guardian |date=26 February 2021}}</ref>

==Subgenres==
===Documentary fiction===
A 20th-century variant of the historical novel is documentary fiction, which incorporates "not only historical characters and events, but also reports of everyday events" found in contemporary newspapers.<ref name = abrams>M. H. Abrams ''A Glossary of Literary Terms''. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace, 1999, p.194.</ref> Examples of this variant form of historical novel include ''[[U.S.A. (trilogy)|U.S.A.]]'' (1938), and ''[[Ragtime (novel)|Ragtime]]'' (1975) by [[E.L. Doctorow]].<ref name = abrams/>

===Fictional biographies===
{{Further|Biography in literature}}
''[[Memoirs of Hadrian]]'' by the Belgian-born French writer [[Marguerite Yourcenar]] is about the life and death of [[Roman Emperor]] [[Hadrian]]. First published in France in French in 1951 as ''Mémoires d'Hadrien'', the book was an immediate success, meeting with enormous critical acclaim.<ref>"Becoming the Emperor: How Marguerite Yourcenar reinvented the past". Books, ''The New Yorker'', February 14, 2005 [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/02/14/becoming-the-emperor] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140402093250/http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/02/14/050214crbo_books?currentPage=6|date=2014-04-02}}.</ref> [[Margaret George]] has written fictional biographies about historical persons in ''[[The Memoirs of Cleopatra]]'' (1997) and ''[[Mary, called Magdalene]]'' (2002). Earlier examples are ''Peter I'' (1929–34) by [[Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy]], and ''[[I, Claudius]]'' (1934) and ''[[King Jesus (novel)|King Jesus]]'' (1946) by [[Robert Graves]]. Other recent [[biographical novel]] series include ''[[Conqueror (book series)|Conqueror]]'' and ''[[Emperor (novel series)|Emperor]]'' by [[Conn Iggulden]] and ''[[Robert Harris (novelist)#Cicero trilogy|Cicero Trilogy]]'' by Robert Harris.

===Gothic fiction===
{{Main|Gothic fiction}}
The gothic novel was popular in the late eighteenth century. Set in the historical past it has an interest in the mysterious, terrifying and haunting. [[Horace Walpole]]'s 1764 novel ''[[The Castle of Otranto]]'' is considered to be an influential work.<ref>De Groot, Jerome ''The Historical Novel'' Chapter 2: Origins, early manifestations and some definitions, Routledge 2010</ref>

===Historical mysteries===
{{excerpt|Historical mystery}}

===Historical romance and family sagas===
{{main|Historical romance|Family saga|Regency romance}}
[[Historical romance|Romantic theme]]s have also been portrayed, such as ''[[Doctor Zhivago (novel)|Doctor Zhivago]]'' by [[Boris Pasternak]] and ''[[Gone with the Wind (novel)|Gone with the Wind]]'' by [[Margaret Mitchell]]. One of the first popular historical romances appeared in 1921, when [[Georgette Heyer]] published ''The Black Moth'', which is set in 1751. It was not until 1935 that she wrote the first of her signature [[Regency romance|Regency]] novels, set around the [[English Regency]] period (1811–1820), when the [[George IV of the United Kingdom|Prince Regent]] ruled England in place of his ill father, [[George III]]. Heyer's Regency novels were inspired by [[Jane Austen]]'s novels of the late 18th and early 19th century. Because Heyer's writing was set in the midst of events that had occurred over 100 years previously, she included [[Authentication|authentic]] period detail in order for her readers to understand.<ref>Regis (2003), pp. 125-126.</ref> Where Heyer referred to historical events, it was as background detail to set the period, and did not usually play a key role in the narrative. Heyer's characters often contained more modern-day sensibilities, and more conventional characters in the novels would point out the heroine's eccentricities, such as wanting to marry for love.<ref>Regis (2003), p. 127.</ref>

===Nautical and pirate fiction===
{{main|Nautical fiction|Pirates in the arts and popular culture}}
Some historical novels explore life at sea, including [[C. S. Forester]]'s [[Horatio Hornblower|Hornblower series]], [[Patrick O'Brian]]'s [[Aubrey–Maturin series]], [[Douglas Reeman|Alexander Kent]]'s [[The Bolitho novels]], [[Dudley Pope]]'s [[Lord Ramage]]'s series, all of which all deal with the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. There are also adventure novels with pirate characters like [[Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s ''[[Treasure Island]]'' (1883), [[Emilio Salgari]]'s [[Sandokan]] (1895–1913) and ''[[Captain Blood (novel)|Captain Blood]]'' (1922) by [[Rafael Sabatini]]. Recent examples of historical novels about pirates are ''The Adventures of Hector Lynch'' by [[Tim Severin]], ''The White Devil (Белият Дявол)'' by Hristo Kalchev and ''The Pirate Devlin'' novels by Mark Keating.

===Alternative history===
{{excerpt|Alternate history}}
===Historical Fantasy===
{{excerpt|Historical fantasy}}

===Time travel fiction===
{{excerpt|Time travel fiction}}

===Historiographic metafiction===
{{main|Historiographic metafiction}} 
Historiographic metafiction combines historical fiction with [[metafiction]]. The term is closely associated with [[postmodern literature]] including writers such as [[Salman Rushdie]] and [[Thomas Pynchon]].

Several novels by Nobel Prize laureate [[José Saramago]] are set in historical times including ''[[Baltasar and Blimunda]]'', ''[[The Gospel According to Jesus Christ]]'' and ''[[The History of the Siege of Lisbon]]''. In a parallel plot set in the 12th and 20th century where history and fiction are constantly overlapping, the latter novel questions the reliability of historical sources and deals with the difference of writing history and fiction.<ref>{{cite book|title =The Collected Novels of José Saramago|publisher= Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|date= 2010|location = Boston|isbn =9780547581002}}</ref>

===Children's historical fiction===
{{see also|:Category:Children's historical novels}}
A prominent subgenre within historical fiction is the children's historical novel. Often following a pedagogical bent, children's historical fiction may follow the conventions of many of the other subgenres of historical fiction. A number of such works include elements of [[historical fantasy]] or [[time travel]] to facilitate the transition between the contemporary world and the past in the tradition of children's portal fiction. Sometimes publishers will commission series of historical novels that explore different periods and times. Among the most popular contemporary series include the [[American Girl]] novels and the [[Magic Tree House series]]. A prominent award within children's historical fiction is the [[Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction]].

===Comics and graphic novels===
{{main|:Category:Historical comics}}
Historical narratives have also found their way in comics and graphic novels. There are [[Prehistory|Prehistorical]] elements in [[jungle|jungle comics]] like [[Akim (comics)|Akim]] and [[Rahan (comics)|Rahan]]. [[Ancient Greece]] inspired [[graphic novel]]s are ''[[300 (comic)|300]]'' created by [[Frank Miller]], centered around [[Battle of Thermopylae]], and ''[[Age of Bronze (comics)|Age of Bronze series]]'' by [[Eric Shanower]], that retells [[Trojan War]]. Historical subjects can also be found in [[manhua]] comics like ''[[Three Kingdoms (manhua)|Three Kingdoms]]'' and ''[[Sun Zi's Tactics]]'' by [[Lee Chi Ching]], ''[[Weapons of the Gods (comics)|Weapons of the Gods]]'' by [[Wong Yuk Long]] as well as ''[[The Ravages of Time]]'' by [[Chan Mou]]. There are also straight [[:Category:Samurai in anime and manga|Samurai manga]] series like ''[[Path of the Assassin]]'', ''[[Vagabond (manga)|Vagabond]]'', ''[[Rurouni Kenshin]]'' and ''[[Azumi]]''. Several comics and graphic novels have been produced into anime series or a movie adaptations like ''[[Azumi (film)|Azumi]]'' and ''[[300 (film)|300]]''.

==The performing arts==
===Period drama films and television series===
{{main|Historical drama}}
Historical drama film stories are based upon historical events and famous people. Some [[historical drama]]s are [[docudrama]]s, which attempt an accurate portrayal of a historical event or [[biography]], to the degree that the available historical research will allow. Other historical dramas are fictionalized tales that are based on an actual person and their deeds, such as ''[[Braveheart]]'', which is loosely based on the 13th-century knight [[William Wallace]]'s fight for [[Scotland]]'s independence. For films pertaining to the history of [[East Asia]], [[Central Asia]], and [[South Asia]], there are [[historical drama films set in Asia]], also known as [[Jidaigeki]] in Japan. [[:Category:Wuxia films|Wuxia films]] like ''[[The Hidden Power of the Dragon Sabre]]'' (1984) and ''[[Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]]'' (2000), based on novels by [[Jin Yong]] and [[Wang Dulu]], have also been produced. [[Zhang Yimou]] has directed several acclaimed [[wuxia]] films like ''[[Hero (2002 film)|Hero]]'' (2002), ''[[House of Flying Daggers]]'' (2004) and ''[[Curse of the Golden Flower]]'' (2006). Although largely fictional some wuxia films are considered historical drama. [[Samurai film]]s like [[Zatoichi]] and [[Lone Wolf and Cub]] series also fall under historical drama umbrella. [[Peplum films]] also known as sword-and-sandal, is a genre of largely Italian-made historical or biblical epics (costume dramas) that dominated the Italian film industry from 1958 to 1965. Most pepla featured a superhumanly strong man as the protagonist, such as [[Hercules]], [[Samson]], [[Goliath]], [[Ursus (film character)|Ursus]] or Italy's own popular folk hero [[Maciste]]. These supermen often rescued captive princesses from tyrannical despots and fought mythological creatures. Not all the films were fantasy-based, however. Many featured actual historical personalities such as [[Julius Caesar]], [[Cleopatra]], and [[Hannibal]], although great liberties were taken with the storylines. Gladiators, pirates, knights, Vikings, and slaves rebelling against tyrannical kings were also popular subjects. There are also [[Middle Ages in film|films based on Medieval narratives]] like [[Ridley Scott]]'s historical epics ''[[Robin Hood (2010 film)|Robin Hood]]'' (2010) and ''[[Kingdom of Heaven (film)|Kingdom of Heaven]]'' (2005) and the subgenred [[list of films based on Arthurian legend|films based on the Arthurian legend]] such as ''[[Pendragon: Sword of His Father]]'' (2008) and ''[[King Arthur (2004 film)|King Arthur]]'' (2004).

Many historical narratives have been expanded into television series. Notable [[ancient history]] inspired TV series include: ''[[Rome (TV series)|Rome]]'', ''[[Spartacus (TV series)|Spartacus]]'', ''[[Egypt (TV series)|Egypt]]'', ''[[The Last Kingdom (TV series)|The Last Kingdom]]'' and ''[[I, Claudius (TV series)|I Claudius]]''. [[Tudor England]] is also a very prominent subject in television series like ''[[The Tudors]]'', ''[[The Virgin Queen (TV serial)|The Virgin Queen]]'' and ''[[Elizabeth I (TV miniseries)|Elizabeth I]]''. Programs about the [[Napoleonic Wars]] have also been produced, like ''[[Sharpe (TV series)|Sharpe]]'' and ''[[Hornblower (TV series)|Hornblower]]''. Historical [[soap opera]]s have also been popular, including the Turkish TV series ''[[Muhteşem Yüzyıl|The Magnificent Century]]'' and ''[[Bir Zamanlar Osmanlı: Kıyam|Once Upon A Time In The Ottoman Empire: Rebellion]]''. Chinese studios have also produced television series like ''[[The Legend and the Hero]]'', its ''[[The Legend and the Hero 2|sequel series]]'', ''[[King's War]]'' and ''[[The Qin Empire (TV series)|The Qin Empire]]''. There have also been produced pure [[:Category:Wuxia television series|Wuxia television series]], many based on works by [[Jin Yong]] like ''[[Condor Trilogy]]'' and ''[[Swordsman (TV series)|Swordsman]]'', also ''[[Lu Xiaofeng#Television|Lu Xiaofeng]]'' and ''[[Chu Liuxiang#Films|Chu Liuxiang]]'' by [[Gu Long]]. They have been very popular in China, but largely unnoticed in Western media.

===The theatre===
====History plays====
{{main|History (theatrical genre)}}
History is one of the three main genres in Western [[theatre]] alongside [[tragedy]] and [[comedy]], although it originated, in its modern form, thousands of years later than the other primary genres.<ref name=howard>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PkDccFRob5IC&pg=PA135 |title=Other Voices, Other Views: Expanding the Canon in English Renaissance Studies |access-date=2014-08-07|isbn=9780874136807 |last1=Ostovich |first1=Helen |last2=Silcox |first2=Mary V |last3=Roebuck |first3=Graham |year=1999 |publisher=University of Delaware Press }}</ref> For this reason, it is often treated as a subset of tragedy.<ref name=moarribner>{{cite journal| title = Marlowe's Edward II and the Tudor History Play| first= Irving| last = Ribner | journal = ELH| volume =  22| number = 4 | date = December 1955| pages =  243–253| publisher  = The Johns Hopkins University Press| jstor = 2871887| doi= 10.2307/2871887}}</ref> A play in this genre is known as a [[history (theatrical genre)|history play]] and is based on a [[Narrative history|historical narrative]], often set in the medieval or early modern past. History emerged as a distinct genre from tragedy in [[English Renaissance theatre|Renaissance England]].<ref name=ribner>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l0LHz_Eki_IC&pg=PR9 |title=The English History Play in the Age of Shakespeare|author=Irving Ribner |access-date=2014-08-07|isbn=9780415353144|year=1965|publisher=Psychology Press }}</ref> The best known examples of the genre are the [[Shakespearean history|history plays]] written by [[William Shakespeare]], whose plays still serve to define the genre.<ref name = degroot12>de Groot, 11-13</ref> Shakespeare wrote numerous history plays, some included in the [[First Folio]] as histories, and other listed as [[Shakespearean tragedy|tragedies]], or Roman plays. Among the most famous histories are ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]'', and ''[[Henry IV, Part 1]]'', ''[[Henry IV, Part 2]]'', and ''[[Henry V (play)|Henry V]]''. Other plays that feature historical characters, are the tragedy ''[[Macbeth]]'', set in the mid-11th century during the reigns of [[Duncan I of Scotland]] and [[Edward the Confessor]], and the Roman plays ''[[Coriolanus]]'', ''[[Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar]]'', and ''[[Antony and Cleopatra]]''. Another tragedy ''[[King Lear]]'', is based on British [[legend]], as is the [[Shakespeare's late romances|romanc]] ''Cymbeline, King of Britain'', which is set in Ancient Britain.

Other playwrights contemporary to Shakespeare, such as [[Christopher Marlowe]], also dramatized historical topics.<ref name = degroot12/> Marlowe wrote ''[[Edward II (play)|Edward the Second]]'' which deals with the deposition of King [[Edward II of England|Edward II]] by his barons and the Queen, who resent the undue influence the king's favourites have in court and state affairs, and ''[[The Massacre at Paris]]'', which dramatizes the events of the [[Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre]] in France in 1572.<ref>Wilson, Richard (2004). "Tragedy, Patronage and Power". in Cheney, Patrick, 2007, p. 207</ref> Marlowe's ''[[Tamburlaine the Great]]'' (1587 or 1588) is a play in two parts, loosely based on the life of the [[Central Asia]]n emperor, [[Timur]] "the lame".

History plays also appear elsewhere in other western literature. The German authors [[Goethe]] and [[Schiller]] wrote a number of historical plays, including Goethe's ''[[Egmont (play)|Egmont]]'' (1788), which is set in the 16th century, and is heavily influenced by Shakespearean tragedy, and Schiller's ''[[Mary Stuart (Schiller play)|Mary Stuart]]'', which depicts the last days of [[Mary, Queen of Scots]] (1800). This play formed the basis for [[Gaetano Donizetti|Donizetti]]'s opera ''[[Maria Stuarda]]'' (1834). Beethoven [[Egmont (Beethoven)|wrote incidental music]] for ''Egmont''.

Later Irish author [[George Bernard Shaw]] wrote several histories, including ''[[Caesar and Cleopatra (play)|Caesar and Cleopatra]]'' (1898) and ''[[Saint Joan (play)|Saint Joan]]'', which based on the life and trial of [[Joan of Arc]]. Published in 1924, not long after the canonization of Joan of Arc by the Roman Catholic Church, the play dramatises what is known of her life based on the substantial records of her trial. One of the most famous 20th-century history plays is ''[[The Life of Galileo]]'' by [[Bertolt Brecht]] which dramatises the latter period of the life of [[Galileo Galilei]], the great [[Italians|Italian]] [[natural philosopher]], who was persecuted by the [[Roman Catholic Church]] for the promulgation of his scientific discoveries; for details, see [[Galileo affair]]. The play embraces such themes as the conflict between [[dogmatism]] and [[Science|scientific evidence]], as well as interrogating the values of constancy in the face of oppression.

More recently British dramatist [[Howard Brenton]] has written several histories. He gained notoriety for his play ''[[The Romans in Britain]]'', first staged at the [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]] in October 1980, which drew parallels between the Roman invasion of Britain in 54BC and the contemporary British military presence in [[Northern Ireland]]. Its concerns with politics were, however, overshadowed by controversy surrounding a rape scene. Brenton also wrote ''Anne Boleyn'' a play on the life of [[Anne Boleyn]], which premiered at [[Shakespeare's Globe]] in 2010. Anne Boleyn is portrayed as a significant force in the political and religious in-fighting at court and a furtherer of the cause of [[Protestantism]] in her enthusiasm for the [[Tyndale Bible]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/anne-boleyn-shakespeares-globe-london-2315856.html |title=Michael Coveney, The Independent, 19 July 2011 |website=[[Independent.co.uk]] |date=18 July 2011 |access-date=29 August 2017 |archive-date=23 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160723023113/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/anne-boleyn-shakespeares-globe-london-2315856.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Opera====
{{main|grand opera|opera}}
One of the first operas to use historical events and people is [[Claudio Monteverdi]]'s [[L'incoronazione di Poppea]], which was first performed in [[Venice]] during the 1643 carnival season. it describes how Poppaea, mistress of the Roman [[emperor Nero]], is able to achieve her ambition and be crowned empress. The opera was revived in Naples in 1651, but was then neglected until the rediscovery of the score in 1888, after which it became the subject of scholarly attention in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Since the 1960s, the opera has been performed and recorded many times. [[George Frederick Handel]] also wrote several operas based on historical characters, including ''[[Giulio Cesare]]'' (1724), ''[[Tamerlano]]'' (1724) and ''[[Rodelinda (opera)|Rodelinda]]'' (1725).

Historical subjects for operas also developed during the 19th century. Usually with 4 or 5 acts, they are large-scale casts and orchestras, and spectacular staging. Several operas by [[Gaspare Spontini]], [[Luigi Cherubini]], and [[Gioachino Rossini]] can be regarded as precursors to French [[grand opera]]. These include Spontini's ''[[La vestale]]'' (1807) and ''[[Fernand Cortez]]'' (1809, revised 1817), Cherubini's ''[[Les Abencérages]]'' (1813), and Rossini's ''[[Le siège de Corinthe]]'' (1827) and ''[[Mosè in Egitto|Moïse et Pharaon]]'' (1828). All of these have some of the characteristics of size and spectacle that are normally associated with French grand opera. Another important forerunner was ''[[Il crociato in Egitto]]'' by [[Giacomo Meyerbeer|Meyerbeer]], who eventually became the acknowledged king of the grand opera genre. Amongst the most important opera composers on historical topics are [[Giuseppe Verdi]], and [[Richard Wagner]].

Russian composers also wrote operas based on historical figures, including ''[[Boris Godunov (opera)|Boris Godunov]]'' by [[Modest Mussorgsky]] (1839–1881), which was composed between 1868 and 1873, and is considered his masterpiece.<ref>Calvocoressi, Abraham (1974: pp. 98, 138){{full citation needed|date=October 2023}}</ref><ref>Brown (1986: p 31)</ref> Its subjects are the Russian ruler [[Boris Godunov]], who reigned as [[Tsar]] (1598 to 1605). Equally famous is [[Alexander Borodin]]'s ''[[Prince Igor]]'', the libretto for which the composer developed from the Ancient Russian [[epic (genre)|epic]] ''The Lay of Igor's Host'', which recounts the campaign of [[Rus' (people)|Rus]] prince [[Igor Svyatoslavich]] against the invading [[Cuman]] ("Polovtsian") tribes in 1185.<ref>Abraham, G. and Lloyd-Jones, D. (1986) "Alexander Borodin" in Brown, D. (ed.) The New Grove: Russian Masters 1, New York: W. W. Norton & Co., pp. 45–76.</ref>

===Historical reenactment===
{{main|Historical reenactment}}
Historical reenactment is an educational or entertainment activity in which people follow a plan to recreate aspects of a historical event or period. This may be as narrow as a specific moment from a battle, such as the reenactment of [[Pickett's Charge]] presented during the [[Great Reunion of 1913]], or as broad as an entire period, such as [[Regency reenactment]] or The 1920s Berlin Project.

==Theory and criticism==
The [[Marxism|Marxist]] literary critic, essayist, and social theorist [[György Lukács]] wrote extensively on the aesthetic and political significance of the historical novel. In 1937's ''Der historische Roman'', published originally in Russian, Lukács developed critical readings of several historical novels by various authors, including [[Gottfried Keller]], [[Charles Dickens]], and [[Gustave Flaubert]]. He interprets the advent of the "genuinely" historical novel at the beginning of the 19th century in terms of two developments, or processes. The first is the development of a specific genre in a specific medium—the historical novel's unique stylistic and narrative elements. The second is the development of a representative, organic artwork that can capture the fractures, contradictions, and problems of the particular productive mode of its time (i.e., developing, early, entrenched [[capitalism]]).

==See also==
* [[:Category:Historical fiction awards|Historical fiction awards]]
* [[List of historical novelists]]
* [[List of historical fiction by time period]]
* [[Walter Scott Prize]]
* ''[[Tarikh-i Bayhaqi|Bayhaqi's History]]''

==References==
{{Reflist|25em}}

===Works cited===
*{{Cite book
| publisher = Routledge
| isbn = 9780203868966
| last = de Groot
| first = Jerome
| title = The Historical Novel
| date = 2009-09-23
}}
*{{cite book| title = The Historical Novel| first = Georg| last = Lukacs | author-link = György Lukács| publisher = Penguin Books| year = 1969}}

==Further reading==
* Cole, Richard. "Breaking the frame in historical fiction". ''Rethinking History'' (2020) 24#3/4, pp 368–387. Frame breaking, or metalepsis, is authors placing themselves in their work, or characters engaging with their author.
* Fisher, Janet. "Historical fiction". in ''International Companion Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature'' (2004) pp: 368–376.
* Freeman, Evelyn B., and Linda Levstik. "Recreating the past: Historical fiction in the social studies curriculum". ''The elementary school journal'' 88.4 (1988): 329–337.
* Grindon, Leger. ''Shadows on the past: Studies in the historical fiction film'' (Temple University Press, 2010).
* McEwan, Neil. ''Perspective in British historical fiction today'' (Springer, 1987).
* Rousselot, Elodie, ed. ''Exoticising the Past in Contemporary Neo-Historical Fiction'' (2014)
* Rycik, Mary Taylor, and Brenda Rosler. "The return of historical fiction". ''The Reading Teacher'' 63.2 (2009): 163–166; it now dominates the book awards in children's literature
* Shaw, Harry E. ''The Forms of Historical Fiction: Sir Walter Scott and His Successors''. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1983.
* White, Hayden. "Introduction: Historical fiction, fictional history, and historical reality". ''Rethinking History'' 9.2-3 (2005): 147–157.

==External links==
{{wiktionary|historical fiction}}
* [http://herstorynovels.com/ Historical fiction by women, about women]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170328191322/http://www.bookmarksmagazine.com/historical-fiction-masters-past/sarah-l-johnson Historical Fiction recommended reading]
* [http://www.kwls.org/category/podcasts/?select=2009 Audio Archives from "Historical Fiction and The Search for Truth"]- 2009 [[Key West Literary Seminar]]
* [http://www.historicfictionfest.com/ Historical Fiction Festival] Annual event in Summerhall, Edinburgh, for writers and audiences to discuss historical fiction.
* [http://historicalnovelsociety.org/guides/defining-the-genre/defining-the-genre-what-are-the-rules-for-historical-fiction/ Defining the Genre: What are the rules for historical fiction?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122150213/https://historicalnovelsociety.org/guides/defining-the-genre/defining-the-genre-what-are-the-rules-for-historical-fiction/ |date=2016-11-22 }} from the Historical Novel Society
* [http://chronicle.com/article/When-Fictionalized-Facts/131759/?sid=cr When Fictionalized Facts Matter] - ''Chronicle of Higher Education'' article on the fictionalization of history

{{Historical fiction|state=folded}}
{{Fiction writing|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Historical fiction| ]]
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