Tytti’s answer to “Is this book ok for teenagers to read? Is it fiction?” > Likes and Comments
Like
It is not all fiction. Much of what she wrote about the Civil War was true, even the exact weather during which the battles took place so she would know to make it muddy for walking around.
Well many novels are like that but they are still fiction. That is just good research I would expect from any historical novel.
I agree. That's why this genré is called historical fiction, not just fiction. There is a difference and I much prefer this category over just plain fiction.
I was thinking more along the lines of fiction vs. non-fiction. I don't really think about different genres that much, especially when in this case it was clear that it's set in the past.
I do think I understand what you mean. But for me, there is often a fine line between historical fiction and fiction. Good historical fiction involves years of research. Conversations between historical characters are invented but a good author tries to make sure the talk makes sense and fits into the real person's personality.and history. I have learned a great deal of history from this often underrated genre of books. I have grown to think of them as my favorite kind.
One southetn writer who saw my review and commented on it said that one reason she gave GWTW five stars was because the language was so on target in the story and reminded her of all her relatives when they told her stories of what they remembered of plantation life and the CivilWar. The movie followed the book but some of the book had to be left out. The writing of this book is also an interesting book in irself as the author's life was so fascinating.
Still, it's on a fiction shelf in our libraries, there is no "historical fiction" shelf. I also prefer non-fiction when it comes to the real history. And literary historical fiction is very popular and revered here, but it's still called just fiction, even when it's about real people.
You're right in what you say. But after writing to a few of my favorite historical fiction authors, I think they feel that a disservice is being done to them by not recognizing the value of what they do. It takes hard work and quite a bit of talent to organize historical facts and to dig into many old libraries finding information from birth records, diaries, maps, history books, etc . Many of these authors travel all over the world so they can give accurate and inside information about what they want to describe. These bits and pieces get put together, organized and incorporated into what is a fictional type of novel. The skeleton and muscles are the innards of the novel made up from the research, and the fictional story must wrap around these parts. A good historical fiction writer must have a solid bone and muscle structure before creating the story. I love this type of fiction because it is based on history and I learn so much in an entertaining way. I do enjoy biography and some history books. I belong to some online historical fiction groups and I find that these readers and authors know quite a bit about history. We enjoy contemporary novels as well but our main interest always goes back to historical fiction.
I have also seen historical novels that many reviewers say are well researched but I can easily spot major details that even Wikipedia could prove wrong. I wouldn't trust to learn correct history from any historical novel.
You are right to not trust a historical novel or even a history book for being accurate. Many accounts of history ard very biased by the people reporting the history. There are certain wtiters who fo a tremendous amount of research by visiting the places they write about and looking for the same type of info that historians search for. Try Margaret George or Elizabeth Chadwick, gor instance. They are very methodical, well researched historical fiction writers.
back to top
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Madeline
(new)
Mar 28, 2015 05:43PM
It is not all fiction. Much of what she wrote about the Civil War was true, even the exact weather during which the battles took place so she would know to make it muddy for walking around.
reply
|
flag
Well many novels are like that but they are still fiction. That is just good research I would expect from any historical novel.
I agree. That's why this genré is called historical fiction, not just fiction. There is a difference and I much prefer this category over just plain fiction.
I was thinking more along the lines of fiction vs. non-fiction. I don't really think about different genres that much, especially when in this case it was clear that it's set in the past.
I do think I understand what you mean. But for me, there is often a fine line between historical fiction and fiction. Good historical fiction involves years of research. Conversations between historical characters are invented but a good author tries to make sure the talk makes sense and fits into the real person's personality.and history. I have learned a great deal of history from this often underrated genre of books. I have grown to think of them as my favorite kind. One southetn writer who saw my review and commented on it said that one reason she gave GWTW five stars was because the language was so on target in the story and reminded her of all her relatives when they told her stories of what they remembered of plantation life and the CivilWar. The movie followed the book but some of the book had to be left out. The writing of this book is also an interesting book in irself as the author's life was so fascinating.
Still, it's on a fiction shelf in our libraries, there is no "historical fiction" shelf. I also prefer non-fiction when it comes to the real history. And literary historical fiction is very popular and revered here, but it's still called just fiction, even when it's about real people.
You're right in what you say. But after writing to a few of my favorite historical fiction authors, I think they feel that a disservice is being done to them by not recognizing the value of what they do. It takes hard work and quite a bit of talent to organize historical facts and to dig into many old libraries finding information from birth records, diaries, maps, history books, etc . Many of these authors travel all over the world so they can give accurate and inside information about what they want to describe. These bits and pieces get put together, organized and incorporated into what is a fictional type of novel. The skeleton and muscles are the innards of the novel made up from the research, and the fictional story must wrap around these parts. A good historical fiction writer must have a solid bone and muscle structure before creating the story. I love this type of fiction because it is based on history and I learn so much in an entertaining way. I do enjoy biography and some history books. I belong to some online historical fiction groups and I find that these readers and authors know quite a bit about history. We enjoy contemporary novels as well but our main interest always goes back to historical fiction.
I have also seen historical novels that many reviewers say are well researched but I can easily spot major details that even Wikipedia could prove wrong. I wouldn't trust to learn correct history from any historical novel.
You are right to not trust a historical novel or even a history book for being accurate. Many accounts of history ard very biased by the people reporting the history. There are certain wtiters who fo a tremendous amount of research by visiting the places they write about and looking for the same type of info that historians search for. Try Margaret George or Elizabeth Chadwick, gor instance. They are very methodical, well researched historical fiction writers.
