Historical fiction is a type of writing where a made-up story happens during real events from the past. The term is often used to describe books, but it can also refer to other forms of storytelling, such as plays, movies, video games, and comic books.
A key part of historical fiction is that it takes place in the past and shows details like the customs, daily life, and social situations of that time. Writers often include real people from history in their stories, helping readers imagine how these people might have acted in their world. Some stories, like historical romance, focus on making the past seem more romantic. Other types, such as alternate history and historical fantasy, add made-up or imaginary parts to the story.
Some people criticize historical fiction for not being accurate enough, either because of what readers expect or because of how the story is written. This difference between real history and made-up stories often becomes a topic of discussion. Scholars, however, look deeper, studying the themes and messages in these stories.
As a modern type of writing, historical fiction began in the early 1800s with authors like Sir Walter Scott and others, such as Honoré de Balzac from France, James Fenimore Cooper from the United States, and Leo Tolstoy from Russia. However, mixing real history with made-up stories has been common in many cultures for a long time. This includes ancient writings in Greece and Rome, as well as stories passed down through spoken traditions in many parts of the world, such as myths and folktales. These stories helped people understand history through fictional works.
Introduction
Definitions of what makes a historical novel vary. The Historical Novel Society says such books are written at least fifty years after the events they describe. Critic Sarah Johnson describes them as stories set before the middle of the 20th century, where the author uses research instead of personal experience. Lynda Adamson, in her book World Historical Fiction, notes that some people consider a historical novel to be about a time period at least 25 years before it was written. However, others read older books, like those by Jane Austen (1775–1817), as if they were historical novels.
Historical fiction sometimes influenced movements tied to national pride. Walter Scott’s Waverley novels sparked interest in Scottish history and continue to inform it. Józef Ignacy Kraszewski’s books about Poland’s history helped people learn more about the country after it lost independence during the Partitions of Poland. Henryk Sienkiewicz wrote popular novels about conflicts between Poles and groups like the Teutonic Knights, Cossacks, and Swedish invaders. He won the 1905 Nobel Prize in Literature. His novel Quo Vadis, set in ancient Rome during Nero’s reign and the early Christian era, was adapted into films in 1913, 1924, 1951, and 2001. Sigrid Undset’s Kristin Lavransdatter helped Norwegians connect with their history; she later won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928.
Many early historical novels increased European interest in the Middle Ages. Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is often credited with encouraging efforts to preserve France’s Gothic architecture, leading to the creation of Monuments historiques, a French group that protects historic buildings.
The historical novel genre has also allowed authors to examine their societies from a distance. For example, Polish writer Bolesław Prus, in his novel Pharaoh, used the past to reflect on his own time and society or to avoid censorship.
In some historical novels, major events occur offstage, while fictional characters live through the time period. Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped focuses on personal adventures during the Jacobite troubles in Scotland. Charles Dickens’ Barnaby Rudge and A Tale of Two Cities take place during the Gordon Riots and the French Revolution, respectively.
Some historical novels have faced questions about their accuracy, such as Alexandre Dumas’ 1845 novel Queen Margot. Postmodern authors like John Barth and Thomas Pynchon mix real historical figures and settings with made-up stories and fantasy, as seen in The Sot-Weed Factor (1960) and Mason & Dixon (1997). Some writers create historical fiction without fictional characters, such as Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series.
History
Historical prose fiction has a long tradition in world literature. Three of the Four Great Classical Novels of China are set in the past: Shi Nai'an's 14th-century Water Margin is about 12th-century outlaws; Luo Guanzhong's 14th-century Romance of the Three Kingdoms is about 3rd-century wars that ended the Han dynasty; and Wu Cheng'en's 16th-century Journey to the West is about the 7th-century Buddhist pilgrim Xuanzang. During the Ming and Qing periods in China, many historical novels became popular. Examples include Feng Menglong's Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms, Luo Maodeng's Sanbao taijian xiyang ji, Sun Gaoliang's Yu Shaobao cui zhong quanzhuan, Chu Renhuo's Romance of the Sui and Tang dynasties, Xiong Damu's Records of the Two Songs, South and North, Yang Erzeng's Romance of the Eastern and Western Jin dynasties, the anonymous Ying Lie Zhuan, and Qian Cai's The General Yue Fei.
Classical Greek novelists also wrote about the past. The Iliad is considered historic fiction because it describes real events, even though it is usually classified as epic poetry. Pierre Vidal-Naquet believes Plato started the tradition of historical novels through the story about Atlantis in his works Timaeus and Critias. The Tale of Genji, written before 1021, is a fictionalized account of Japanese court life about a century earlier. Its author claimed her work showed a "more complete and therefore 'truer'" version of history.
One of the earliest European historical novels is La Princesse de Clèves, a French novel published anonymously in 1678. It is often seen as the beginning of the modern psychological novel and is considered a great work. The author is believed to be Madame de La Fayette. The story takes place between October 1558 and November 1559 at the court of Henry II of France. The novel accurately recreates that time, with nearly every character (except the heroine) being a real historical figure. Events and conflicts are described with great attention to historical records. In the United Kingdom, the historical novel developed from La Princesse de Clèves and later influenced the Gothic novel. Another early example is The Unfortunate Traveller by Thomas Nashe, published in 1594 and set during the reign of King Henry VIII.
Historical fiction became popular in Europe during the early 19th century as part of the Romantic movement, which reacted against the Enlightenment. This was especially true for the Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott, whose works were widely read across Europe. His followers included writers like Willibald Alexis, Theodor Fontane, and Alessandro Manzoni. Jane Porter's 1803 novel Thaddeus of Warsaw is one of the earliest historical novels in English and was published in at least 84 editions. The first true historical novel in English was Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth in 1800.
In the 20th century, György Lukács argued that Scott was the first writer to see history not just as a background for stories but as a unique social and cultural setting. Scott's novels like Waverley (1814) and Rob Roy (1817) explored society through characters who lived at the crossroads of different groups. Ivanhoe (1820) helped revive interest in the Middle Ages.
Many famous writers from the United Kingdom wrote historical novels in the mid-19th century, including Thackeray's Vanity Fair, Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities, George Eliot's Romola, and Charles Kingsley's Westward Ho! and Hereward the Wake. Thomas Hardy's only historical novel, The Trumpet-Major (1880), is set in Weymouth during the Napoleonic Wars.
In the United States, the first historical novelist was Samuel Woodworth, who wrote The Champions of American Freedom in 1816. James Fenimore Cooper, influenced by Scott, is best known for his historical novels. His most famous work is The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 (1826), set during the French and Indian War. John Neal's Rachel Dyer (1828), the first novel about the 17th-century Salem witch trials, influenced later works like The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Set in 17th-century Boston, The Scarlet Letter tells the story of Hester Prynne, who struggles to build a new life after an affair.
In French literature, Balzac was the most famous writer to continue Scott's style. His 1829 novel Les Chouans was later included in La Comédie Humaine. Most of La Comédie Humaine takes place during the Bourbon Restoration and the July Monarchy, but some stories are set during the French Revolution, the Middle Ages, or the Renaissance.
Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831) is another example of 19th-century historical fiction. Hugo wrote the novel to highlight the importance of Gothic architecture, which was being neglected or destroyed. The story is set in 1482 and focuses on the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Alexandre Dumas also wrote popular historical novels, including The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. The Count of Monte Cristo became one of the most widely read books in Europe and has been translated into nearly all modern languages.
Tolstoy's War and Peace uses historical fiction to critique contemporary history. Tolstoy studied Russian and French histories of the Napoleonic Wars and used the novel to challenge those views. He described his work as blending fiction and history to reveal the truth. The novel is set 60 years before it was written, and Tolstoy researched the war using primary and secondary sources, as well as speaking with people who lived through the French invasion of Russia in 1812.
Subgenres
A type of historical novel from the 20th century is called documentary fiction. This kind of novel includes not only real people and events from history but also descriptions of everyday life found in newspapers from the time. Examples of this type of novel are U.S.A. (1938) and Ragtime (1975) by E.L. Doctorow.
Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar is a book about the life and death of Roman Emperor Hadrian. It was first published in France in 1951 and was very well received by critics. Margaret George wrote fictional stories about historical people in The Memoirs of Cleopatra (1997) and Mary, called Magdalene (2002). Earlier examples include Peter I (1929–1934) by Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy and I, Claudius (1934) and King Jesus (1946) by Robert Graves. More recent books in this style are Conqueror and Emperor by Conn Iggulden and Cicero Trilogy by Robert Harris.
The gothic novel was popular in the late 1700s. These stories are set in the past and often focus on mysterious, scary, or haunting events. The Castle of Otranto (1764) by Horace Walpole is considered an important example of this type of novel.
The historical mystery, also called a historical whodunit, is a type of story that mixes history with mystery. These stories are set in the past and involve solving a crime, usually a murder. While such stories existed as early as the 1900s, Cadfael Chronicles (1977–1994) by Ellis Peters helped make this genre more popular. In recent years, this type of book has become widely recognized by publishers and libraries. A 2010 report said, "The past decade has seen an explosion in both quantity and quality" of historical mysteries. An editor named Keith Kahla also noted that the genre has grown from a small group of writers to one that is now critically praised and appears on bestseller lists.
Since 1999, the British Crime Writers' Association has given out the CWA Historical Dagger award for books in this genre. The Left Coast Crime conference has also honored historical mysteries with its Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery award since 2004.
Some historical novels include romantic themes, such as Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak and Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. One of the first popular historical romances was The Black Moth (1921) by Georgette Heyer, set in 1751. Heyer later wrote Regency-era novels, which are set during the English Regency period (1811–1820), when the Prince Regent ruled in place of his sick father, King George III. Heyer’s novels were inspired by Jane Austen’s stories. She included details about the time period to help readers understand the setting. Her characters often had modern ideas, and other characters in the stories would comment on the heroine’s unusual choices, like wanting to marry for love.
Some historical novels are about life at sea. Examples include Hornblower by C.S. Forester, Aubrey–Maturin by Patrick O’Brian, The Bolitho series by Alexander Kent, and Lord Ramage by Dudley Pope, all of which are set during the Napoleonic Wars. Adventure stories with pirate characters include Treasure Island (1883) by Robert Louis Stevenson, Sandokan (1895–1913) by Emilio Salgari, and Captain Blood (1922) by Rafael Sabatini. Recent pirate-themed books include The Adventures of Hector Lynch by Tim Severin, The White Devil by Hristo Kalchev, and The Pirate Devlin series by Mark Keating.
Alternate history is a type of story that imagines how history might have changed if certain events had happened differently. These stories often explore "what if?" questions about important moments in history and show how the world might be different. They usually have a point where history changes, called a point of divergence, and then follow the effects of that change. Some alternate history stories are considered part of science fiction or historical fiction. Since the 1950s, many stories in this genre have included ideas like time travel between different timelines, psychic awareness of other worlds, or splitting history into separate timelines.
Historical fantasy is a type of story that mixes fantasy elements, such as magic, with historical settings. These stories often take place before the 20th century and may overlap with other fantasy genres, like Arthurian or Celtic stories. Films in this genre may be set in biblical times or ancient Greece and Rome, and often use myths or legends as inspiration.
Time travel is a common theme in fiction, especially since the late 1800s. It appears in books, movies, and television shows. This genre is sometimes called chrono fiction or temporal fiction. The idea of traveling through time using machines was first popularized in The Time Machine (1895) by H.G. Wells. Time travel stories often focus on the effects of changing the past or visiting the future. Some stories show how changing history can alter the present or future, while others suggest the past cannot be changed or that the future is already decided. Other stories explore the confusing situations that come with time travel, such as paradoxes or alternate timelines. These stories often include social commentary by using time travel to address modern issues in a symbolic way.
Historiographic metafiction is a type of story that mixes historical fiction with metafiction, which is when a story talks about itself or the process of writing. This style is often linked to postmodern literature, including works by authors like Salman Rushdie and Thomas Pynchon. Nobel Prize winner José Saramago wrote books set in historical times, such as Baltasar and Blimunda, The Gospel According to Jesus Christ, and The History of the Siege of Lisbon. In The History of the Siege of Lisbon, a story set in the 12th and 20th centuries, the author questions how reliable historical sources are and explores the differences between writing history and fiction.
A common type of historical fiction is the children’s historical novel. These books often have an educational purpose and may follow the same patterns as other historical fiction genres.
The performing arts
Historical drama films tell stories based on real events and people from the past. Some of these films are called docudramas, which try to show true events or biographies as accurately as possible, based on what history records allow. Other films are fictional stories inspired by real people, like Braveheart, which is loosely based on the 13th-century knight William Wallace’s fight for Scotland’s independence. In Asia, historical dramas are also made, such as Japanese Jidaigeki films and Chinese Wuxia films like The Hidden Power of the Dragon Sabre (1984) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), which are based on novels by Jin Yong and Wang Dulu. Directors like Zhang Yimou have created famous Wuxia films, including Hero (2002) and House of Flying Daggers (2004). While some Wuxia films are fictional, they are still considered historical dramas. Samurai films, such as Zatoichi and Lone Wolf and Cub, also fall into this category. Peplum films, also called sword-and-sandal movies, are Italian-made historical or biblical stories that were popular in the 1950s and 1960s. These films often feature strong heroes like Hercules or Maciste, who rescue princesses or fight mythical creatures. Some pepla include real historical figures, like Julius Caesar or Cleopatra, though their stories are often changed. Topics like gladiators, Vikings, and medieval knights are also common in these films. Historical dramas based on medieval stories include Robin Hood (2010) and Kingdom of Heaven (2005), as well as films about the Arthurian legend, such as King Arthur (2004).
Many historical stories have been turned into TV series. Examples include Rome, Spartacus, and The Last Kingdom, which focus on ancient history. Tudor England is also a popular subject, seen in series like The Tudors and Elizabeth I. Shows about the Napoleonic Wars, such as Sharpe and Hornblower, and historical soaps like The Magnificent Century and Once Upon A Time In The Ottoman Empire: Rebellion, have also been made. Chinese TV series like The Legend and the Hero and The Qin Empire are based on historical events. Wuxia TV series, inspired by Jin Yong’s novels like Condor Trilogy, are popular in China but less known in the West.
In Western theater, history is one of the main genres, along with tragedy and comedy. It became a separate genre during the Renaissance in England. Shakespeare’s plays, such as Richard III and Henry V, are famous examples of history plays. Other plays, like Macbeth and Julius Caesar, also include historical characters. Playwrights like Christopher Marlowe wrote about history, such as Edward the Second and The Massacre at Paris. German authors like Goethe and Schiller also wrote historical plays, including Egmont and Mary Stuart. Later, authors like George Bernard Shaw and Bertolt Brecht dramatized historical events, such as Saint Joan and The Life of Galileo.
In opera, historical stories have been used since the 17th century. Claudio Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea tells the story of Poppaea, the mistress of Emperor Nero. Later, composers like Handel wrote operas about historical figures, such as Giulio Cesare. In the 19th century, large-scale operas with complex stories and staging became popular, influencing French grand opera. Composers like Spontini and Rossini helped shape this style.
Theory and criticism
György Lukács was a writer who studied literature and politics. He wrote about the importance of historical novels in both art and society. In his 1937 book Der historische Roman, first published in Russian, Lukács analyzed historical novels by authors such as Gottfried Keller, Charles Dickens, and Gustave Flaubert. He explained that the true historical novel began in the early 1800s because of two changes. First, the historical novel developed its own unique style and storytelling methods. Second, it became a type of artwork that could show the challenges and conflicts of the economic systems of its time, such as developing, early, or established capitalism.