Criteria+for+Selecting+Historical+Fiction

What criteria should you consider when selecting historical fiction?
Click the **Edit** button (far right side of screen) and paste your content in the space below. Make sure to **Save** changes before exiting Tracy Landry: Children can learn about the past by reading historical fiction. They can be transported to the Civil War, the prairie, or the Titanic. It is important, therefore, that the stories are written with historical accuracy. Plot, character, setting and theme should accurately reflect the time period. These are some of the elements used to evaluate historical fiction. The plot of this genre must be true to the time period in which it was written. The characters should reflect the thoughts and actions of the people in the time period, as well. The characters often face conflicts within themselves or with each other. Often, their society or culture presents conflict within themselves. Typically, the characters “leave their environment and move into alien ones.” (Norton, 523). This is the case with Anna Myers’ //The Assassin//. Set in Washington City pre-civil war, young Bella’s father takes his daughter from Virginia and drops her off at her grandmother’s house with a promise to return. He never does, and Bella settles in with her grandmother. Bella’s family had slaves in Virginia, but in Washington City, she sees that many of her friend and classmates are anti-slavery. Bella meets John Wilkes Booth and becomes involved in his plot to kidnap and ultimately assassinate President Lincoln. Bella admires the President, yet, Booth has a strong influence over her. The themes in historical fiction should be as relevant today as they were in the time period they are written in. The theme of slavery and freedom are common in historical fiction; this is obviously an important, relevant topic in our nation’s history that should be studied. Fiction books about such a difficult topic can be an excellent starting point to the topic. //Henry’s Freedom Box// by Ellen Levine is the fictionalized account of Henry Brown’s journey to freedom from slavery in a box. His wife and children are sold while he is ‘at work’ at a tobacco factory and he is aided by a white man who doesn’t believe in slavery. The clear, concise, easy to understand story tells the tale of a typical life of a slave without being too graphic. The author’s note offers facts about the Underground Railroad and slavery in easy to understand language, too. //The Assassin// does an excellent job of telling a story while weaving historical details and facts into the plot. Through letters between Bella and her aunt, the reader learns about ‘The Battle of Gettysburg’ as she learns that her father was taken prisoner at the battle. Bella (narrating) talks about what she knows about the battle, and reflects on the events. It tells a good story, it is accurate and authentic, and reflects the thoughts and attitudes of the time period. The fascinating story //Crossing Bok Chitto// //a Choctaw tale of friendship and freedom// by Tim Tingle is set in Mississippi where the Bok Chitto River separates the Choctaw Indians from the plantation owners and slaves. The setting is obviously very important to the story, because the river is what keeps the slaves from escaping to freedom. The story begins with a paragraph stating that if the slaves crossed the river, they would be safe and free on the Choctaw side. This story is about a friendship between a young Choctaw girl and a slave boy. The girl and her family help the boy and his family escape the bonds of slavery. //Elijah of Buxton// by Christopher Paul Curtis captures the essence of the struggles of freed slaves living on a settlement founded by a white minister. The settlement is peaceful, filled with kind, hard working people. The realistic fears of being recaptured are explored, as are the emotional and physical scars of freed slaves. Mr. Leroy, a friend of Elijah, shows him his scars from being whipped by his master, and talks about the use of the ‘N’ word. The fear of being recaptured isn’t ‘real’ today (but important to know about), but the use of derogatory words toward members of one’s own race is still very relevant today. Historical accuracy is an important element in evaluating historical fiction. A good historical fiction book should integrate details into the story “so that they do not overwhelm readers or detract from the story.” (Norton, 523) In addition, the characters’ actions and thoughts should accurately reflect those of the time period. The subjects of a good historical fiction novel explore topics that are still relevant today. Curtis, Christopher Paul. //Elijah of Buxton//. New York: Scholastic, 2007. Print. Levine, Ellen. //Henry's Freedom Box a true story from the Underground Railroad//. Illus. Kadir Nelson. New York: Scholastic Press, 2007. Print. Morgan, Mia. "Historical Fiction and Biography." Salem State College LBS 803. 12 Oct. 2009. Power point. Myers, Anna. //Assassin//. New York: Walker & Company, 2005. Print. Norton, Barbara E. //Through the Eyes of a Child An Introduction to Children's// //Literature//. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall, Inc, 1995. Print. Tingle, Tim. //Crossing Bok Chitto a tale of friendship and freedom//. Illus. Jeanne Rorex Bridges. Texas: Cinco Punto Press, 2006. Print.

Added by Helen Mastico There are two different types of historical fiction, the first is based around real people and/or events. A book such as Girl in a Cage is based on real people. Robert the Bruce was crowned King of Scotland and was at war with King Edward I. There was a decree that cages be built that are the same as the one described in the book and 11-year-old Marjorie was taken prisoner as was her aunt and another lady of the court. This is a work of fiction however because the scenes are described with other people who are fictitious. The bare bones of the facts have been padded out with thoughts, feelings and descriptive settings.

A book such as this needs to be researched thoroughly so that names, dates and locations are accurate. The story must avoid contradiction and be plausible, the descriptions of the people and places authentic. It is unrealistic to relate speech exactly as it was spoken at the time, this could become a chore for the reader and detract from the story. Instead, the authors of this book maintain a sense of the time by the occasional word (Huzzah!) or turn of phrase (“…we do nought to enflame them.”)

The second type of historical fiction is based on facts of social history. In Hear the Wind Blow by Mary Downing Hahn, the civil war is described from the perspective of a 13-year-old boy, Haswell. The facts of the war, the dates and settings, are accurate but the characters in the book are fictional. Even so, in order to be believable, the characters in stories such as these must be realistic. Historical characters cannot have contemporary actions, values or knowledge. Though a character like Haswell would know that the injuries sustained by the soldier he helps can become inflamed, he would not know that the causative agent is bacteria.

Any historical fiction cannot contradict itself nor historical record. For example, Marjorie could not have been kept in a cage outside Dustanburgh castle for while it is in Northumberland (on the border of England and Scotland) construction did not even begin until 1313. Haswell could not have lived in Oregon because there were no Civil War battles there.

The role that all historical fiction plays is to form connections with the past. To understand humanity it is necessary to know how society has come to be the way it is today. By relating historical events to people who were there, real or imaginary, a reader is given that greater understanding.