Genre - Historical Fiction

Defining the genre

1. A definition

Historic(al) fiction presents readers with a story that takes place during a notable period in history, and usually during a significant event in that period.

In some historical fiction, famous events appear from points of view not recorded in history, showing historical figures dealing with actual events while depicting them in a way that is not recorded in history.

Other times, the historical event complements a story's narrative, occurring in the background while characters deal with events (personal or otherwise) wholly unrelated to recorded history.

Sometimes, historical fiction can be for the most part true, but the names of people and places have been in some way altered.

2. Artistic license

As this is fiction, artistic license is permitted in regard to presentation and subject matter, so long as it does not deviate in significant ways from established history. If events should deviate significantly, the story may then fall into the genre of alternate history, which is known for speculating on what could have happened if a significant historical event had gone differently.

On a similar note, events occurring in historical fiction must adhere to the laws of physics. Stories that extend into the magical or fantastic are often considered historical fantasy.

3. Sub-genres

a. Historical whodunnit

The historical whodunnit is a sub-genre of both the historical novel and the mystery novel, in which the central plot involves a crime (almost always a murder) and the setting is historical. The "detective" may be a real-life historical figure or an imaginary character.

b. Historical romance

Historical romance is the major subgenre of both the literary genres romance novel and historical novel.

It is set before World War I but many historical romances include contemporary attitudes, as, for example, the heroines often have far more education than was the norm in their time period.

This subgenre includes a wide variety of further subgenres, including:

 

i. Viking
These books feature Vikings during the Dark Ages or Middle Ages.

Heroes in Viking romances are typical alpha males who are tamed by their heroines. Most heroes are described as "tall, blonde, and strikingly handsome."

Using the Viking culture allows novels set in these time periods to include some travel, as the Vikings were "inveterate adventurers, founding and conquering colonies all over the globe."

 

ii. Medieval
These romances are typically set between 938-1485.

Women in the medieval time periods were often considered as no more than property who were forced to live at the mercy of their father, guardian, or the king. Always a lady, the heroine must use her wits and will and find a husband who will accept her need to be independent, yet still protect her from the dangers of the times.

The hero is almost always a knight who first learns to respect her and her uncommon ideas and then falls in love.

Heroes are always strong and dominant, and the heroine, despite the gains she has made, is usually still in a subordinate position. However, that position is her choice, made "the sake of and with protection from an adoring lover, whose main purpose in life is to fulfille his beloved's wishes."

 

iii. Tudor
These romances are set in England between 1485 and 1558

 

iv. Elizabethan
These novels are set in England between 1558 and 1603, during the time of Elizabeth I.

 

v. Georgian
These novels are set between 1714 and 1810 in England.

 

vi. Pirate
Pirate novels feature a male or female who is sailing, or thought to be sailing, as a pirate or privateer on the high seas. Pirate heroes are the ultimate "bad boys," who "dominate all for the sake of wealth and freedom."

The heroine is usually captured by the hero in the early part of the novel, and then are forced to succumb and eventually fall in love with their captor. On the rarer occasions where the heroine is the pirate, the book often focuses on her struggle to maintain her freedom of choice while living the life of a man. Regardless of the gender of the pirate, much of the action in the book takes place at sea.

 

vii. Victorian
These novels are set between 1832 and 1901 England, beginning with the Reform Act of 1832 and including the reign of Queen Victoria.

 

viii. Colonial United States
These novels are all set in the United States between 1630 and 1798.

 

ix. Civil War
Set in the former Confederacy, these novels cover the time period of the American Civil War and Reconstruction.

 

x. Western
These novels are set in the frontier of the United States, Canada, or Australia.

Unlike Westerns, where women are often marginalized, the Western romance focuses on the experiences of the female.

Heroes in these novels seek adventure and are forced to conquer the unknown. They are often loners, slightly uncivilized, and "earthy."

Their heroines are often forced to travel to the frontier by events outside their control. These women must learn to survive in a man's world, and, by the end of the novel, have conquered their fears with love. In many cases the couple must face a level of personal danger, and, upon surmounting their troubles, are able to forge a strong relationship for the future.

 

xi. 'Indian'
These novels could also fall into the Western subgenre, but always feature a Native American protagonist whose "heritage is integral to the story."

These romances "[emphasize] instinct, creativity, freedom, and the longing to escape from the strictures of society to return to nature."

Members of Native American tribes who appear in the books are usually depicted as "exotic figures" who "[possess] a freedom to be admired and envied."

Often the Native protagonist is struggling against racial prejudice and incurs hardships trying to maintain a way of life that is different from the norm. By the end of the novel, however, the problems are surmounted.

The heroes of these novels are often fighting to control their darker desires.

In many cases, the hero or heroine is captured and then falls in love with a member of the tribe. The tribe is always depicted as civilized, not savages, and misunderstood.

xii. Americana
Set between 1880 and 1920 in the United States, usually in a small town or in the Midwest.

Historical romance novels are rarely published in hardcover. Because historical romances are primarily published in mass-market format, their fortunes are tied to a certain extent to the mass-market trends.

Booksellers and large merchandisers are selling fewer mass market paperbacks, preferring trade paperbacks or hardcovers, which prevent historical romances from being sold in some price clubs and othe rmass merchandise outlets.

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