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Historical Fiction

An Introduction

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Statement of Inquiry

The ways in which a nation of people connect with one another through their shared history depends on their perspectives of that history. A person’s reality is shaped by their perspective of any given situation.

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Let’s break this down a little further...

Watch these videos and complete your notes handout…

What is Historical Fiction?

Intro to Historical Fiction

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Historical Fiction: Why do we read it?

Take 30 seconds to think about this question.

Pair up with the person next to you and share your response.

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Inquiry Questions

Factual: Where and when does your novel take place? What historical event is taking place?

Conceptual: What are the social norms of the time? How are they different from today?

Debatable: Have social norms changed since the time your novel takes place? Why or why not? How so?

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Essential Questions:

  • How does our understanding of history change through reading historical fiction?
  • What does historical fiction teach us about human nature?
  • How does research play an important role in writing historical fiction?

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Vocabulary for Historical Fiction:

authenticity: noun

  • the quality of being authentic.
  • "the paper should have established the authenticity of the documents before

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Vocabulary for Historical Fiction:

anachronism

noun

  • a thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists, especially a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned.
  • "everything was as it would have appeared in centuries past apart from one anachronism, a bright yellow construction crane"
    • an act of attributing a custom, event, or object to a period to which it does not belong.

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Vocabulary for Historical Fiction:

Plot:

Plot refers to the sequence of events inside a story which affect other events through the principle of cause and effect. The causal events of a plot can be thought of as a series of sentences linked by "and so."

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Vocabulary for Historical Fiction:

theme: noun

  • the subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person's thoughts, or an exhibition; a topic.
  • "the theme of the sermon was reverence"

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Vocabulary for Historical Fiction:

Narration: noun

the action or process of narrating a story.

  • "the style of narration in the novel"

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Point of View: noun

a particular attitude or way of considering a matter.

  • "I'm trying to get Matthew to change his point of view"

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(in fictional writing) the narrator's position in relation to the story being told.

2. "this story is told from a child's point of

view"

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Vocabulary for Historical Fiction:

Protagonist: noun

the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text.

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  • the main figure or one of the most prominent figures in a real situation.

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Antagonist: noun

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a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary.

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  • "he turned to confront his antagonist"

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Now it’s your turn

Pair up with one other person who is reading the same book as you. On a separate piece of paper, respond to these questions:

  • What time period is the book set in? What historical event is occurring?
  • Does the story seem authentic to the time period?
  • Are there any anachronisms?
  • What is the plot of your story so far?
  • What do you think the theme of the story is? Why?
  • Who is the narrator? What is the Point of View?
  • Who is the Protagonist and who is the Antagonist? Explain your reasoning.