Why Bother Reading Historical Fiction?

Why do we like to read historical fiction?

Experts say if you want to learn about political history, read history books.

If you want to learn about social history and what life was like at a given time and place, read historical fiction.

While I happen to like reading history books, I find most of the fiction I gravitate toward is historical.

I suspect the same may be true of many of you.

By definition

Fiction takes us out of everyday living for entertainment.

Historical fiction takes us back to a different time and place and, if read with an eye toward themes, can give us insight into our present.

Or not.

Regardless of your reasons, by reading historical fiction you gain knowledge.

My mother, for example, based all she knew about the Regency period in England on the novels she read.

She may not have been able to articulate Prime Minister William Pitt’s political ideals, but she knew what the women wore, how they liked to spend time, and what their concerns were.

At least for members of the Jane Austen era, her character’s peers and up into the aristocracy.

“But what about the poor people, the ones Dickens wrote about, Mom?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Their lives were very hard.”

So she did know, though perhaps not in the nitty-gritty sense Charles Dickens described.

The history of historical fiction

It’s been around a long time.

William Shakespeare, for example, relied upon past histories to write his own plays–plays like Henry V and even Hamlet.

Many fine works are the result of altering a historical tale and adding fictional characters to explore themes and other ideas using basic facts.

I’ve used it myself in nearly all my historical novellas, particularly the two written out of family history events: The Dogtrot Christmas and An Inconvenient Gamble.

The past true stories enabled me to embroider with descriptions and character studies to tell a deeper tale than what a straight recounting of events provided.

There really isn’t anything new under the sun.

Our takeaway.

It’s fiction therefore it isn’t real, so what is our takeaway as a reader?

Universal truth is truth, no matter the time or place.

Historical fiction, using its imagery and description can slip insights into our minds without cluttering them with the sense, “I need to learn something from this.”

For example, “there’s nothing new under the sun,” which is a Biblical principle described by King Solomon, is proved every time you read a historical novel.

The events in which the characters find themselves feels familiar if you strip them past whatever their time period.

Putting them into a different setting enables us to look at the human emotions and reactions without necessarily squirming until later.

So, when I heard Scarlett O’Hara defiantly shaking her head and saying, “I’ll think about that tomorrow,” I eventually realized it often was true of me.

But in I’m disapproving of Scarlett’s behavior, I recognized my own attitude.

I squirmed, thought about it, and decided to change.

(Use this argument only if you have people complaining about your reading habits).

Pure Entertainment?

If you read historical fiction for pure entertainment, good for you.

A novel is designed to give you a break from your current life, history books are to teach us and enlighten us.

As the adage goes, those who do not learn history are condemned to repeat it.

There’s nothing like a good book–no matter the genre!

Tweetables

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Historical fiction for fun and learning. Click to Tweet