Open AccessHistory and Fiction: An Uneasy Marriage?
Author(s) -
J. Thomas Lindblad
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
humaniora
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2302-9269
pISSN - 0852-0801
DOI - 10.22146/jh.v30i2.34619
Subject(s) - digression , drama , selection (genetic algorithm) , section (typography) , literature , history , literary fiction , history of literature , sociology , art , literary criticism , computer science , artificial intelligence , operating system
This essay discusses the relationship between history as a science and fiction as a genre of literature. It starts with a brief digression on the characteristics and pitfalls of the historical novel, including its development over time. Past experience is highlighted with the aid of a selection of acknowledged novelists making intensive use of historical information. Recent new trends are illustrated by professional historians becoming novelists. A final section offers reflections on how to combine the demands of authenticity in history with the demands of drama in literary fiction.