There are some writers who, at the same time as delivering a great story, do it using language so evocative, pure and sometimes even lyrical, that they are a true delight to read. These are our literary chicks.
| Historical Fiction |
| by Ellen Bashford Historical fiction ranges from novels whose settings are vaguely reminiscent of the 1800s, with excessive usage of the word ‘Daaaarling!’, to fanatically researched thrillers that leave you with a PHD in Celtic trade patterns. Aware that fact is a duller medium for conveying the vital knowledge of the past, legitimate historians, or those authors with an all-consuming interest in a period are turning back the clock to find themselves flying up the bestseller lists. Everyone loves a true story, and with the odd embellishment, they make great table conversation when one wants to appear deeply knowledgeable on the times of yore, especially if your boss is listening. Jane Austen fashioned her, women readers revered her, Keira Knightley made her every fantasy. Elizabeth Bennet and her endearing counterparts have been re-created thousands of times. While there is nothing better than the original, for a modern take on the Austen ages, authors like Julia Quinn have stripped down the ideas and lifestyle behind mothers blinded by marriage and the ‘truth, universally acknowledged’ that women love the idea of being a 19th century society girl, to create the feisty heroines in her myriad of novels. While Quinn’s characters may be a little too forthright for their real-life equivalents, the men are rich and handsome and the scenes are picturesque. Any of her books capture those love stories that have lasted over a hundred years. Her new novel ‘Ten Things I Love About You’ is out this summer. For darker, more accurate historical fiction, the queen of romantic turmoil herself, Philippa Gregory, has written from the 15th -20th centuries. Kidnapping, scandal, witchcraft and the passionate trials of Henry VIII’s wives all feature within her novels, ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’ being her most famous – and now even a movie. In chronicling the history of Britain in vivid first person tense, her academic past allows the reader to trust her view point on ‘historical gossip’. Her portrayal of the challenges that faced the women of earlier centuries and the gut wrenching hardships they endured from male counterparts pushes at the grittier areas of history, the areas perhaps underneath popular knowledge. Alongside her in Tudor fiction stands Hilary Mantel’s bestseller ‘Wolf Hall’. Her somewhat unusual choice of Thomas Cromwell as a hero only makes her representation of him more interesting, although her clear awe at his character does sometimes cloud popular historical interpretation. Yet history is all about interpretation, and these two women prove that fact is not always as factual as it may appear. A genre within a genre, Joan Wolf’s historical mysteries mix the excitement of obscurity with the reality of fact. Writing since 1980, her books cover many periods and range from the romantic to the gothic, yet age seamlessly. Her most recent novel ‘No Dark Place’ and its sequel ‘The Poisoned Serpent’ promise knights, bloody disputes and the ingredients of an engrossing read. For modern historical fiction from the east, Vikram Seth’s 20th century novels explore life away from western history. Slightly satirical at times, and leaning towards political history, ‘A Suitable Boy’ is most recommendable, and his most recent. Finally, to the bizarre, Marcus Zusak’s ‘The Book Thief’ is unsettling, with Death as narrator it allows him to comment on humanities choices during the Nazi regime in a breath-taking tale of tragedy and small triumph. Supposedly focused on two stories that his parents told him about everyday life in Germany, this novel has risen swiftly up the bestseller lists as a rarely masterful depiction of a heavily documented time. Whatever the period, whatever the style, Historical fiction continues to be one of the bestselling genres out there (after vampires, that is), and with more and more emphasis on period drama, it’s the best way to mix knowledge with our favourite pastime, the book. |
| Posted: 16/09/2010 13:05:19 |
Chick Lit > Literary Chicks :: Historical Fiction