Historical Fiction Isn’t Just Historical Fiction Anymore

By Melissa L.

If someone asked you to define “historical fiction,” you would probably say that it’s fiction set sometime in the past. And if you gave that answer, you would be fundamentally correct. But historical fiction isn’t just historical fiction anymore. More and more, it’s being crossed with other genres to produce books that toe the line between historical and something else.

Historical romances. Historical mysteries. Historical fantasy. These are all examples of the types of books I like to call “historical hybrids”: books that can be called historical fiction, since they do have a historical setting, but are also strongly tied to another genre. In the YA market, these books often seem to sell better than straight historical fiction because they can appeal to a wider audience. Many teens, who otherwise find history boring, will pick up a book that’s fundamentally a romance.

The question with such books, though, is the extent to which they can actually be called historical fiction. For example, many historical fantasy novels are meticulously researched, and their authors certainly deserve credit for including as much historical accuracy as possible—but they’re still fantasy. Part of the point of historical fiction is that the events described in it could have happened, and we all know that people didn’t really work magic in historical times. Is there any way you can ascribe the label “historical fiction” to such a novel? Or is it solely fantasy?

Discussion:

What do you think about the so-called historical hybrids? Can you call them historical fiction, or do they really belong more to their other genres?

Melissa L. is the YA Editorial Assistant for Wonders and Marvels. You can read more about her here: Editorial Staff.

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Vicky Alvear Shecter

Funny that you raise this point, Melissa. I was just in bookstore the other day in search of the second book in a series by Jo Graham (first book was BLACK SHIPS). I had seen the title earlier and their computer claimed it was somewhere in the store. But we could not find it! It wasn’t in fiction and it wasn’t in historical fiction. Finally, the bookseller found it in fantasy. It had never occurred to me to look there! Graham knows her history and the details feel authentic. To me, though, it doesn’t qualify as fantasy since it was set in a real world and the fantasy sequences merely illustrated what the people of the time BELIEVED. In other words, if it was true that the ancient Greeks believed in oracles, then having an oracle have a trippy-kind of experience in a sulfurous cave is not fantasy–even if we take that trip with her and meet her gods, etc. I don’t think we should be splitting HF out into several subgroups for the selfish reason that if I hadn’t already known about/read the first novel, I never would have found the rest of the series. What other wonderful books like this have I missed because they are now filing them in fantasy rather than HF?
Anna

See, what I would argue is that the point of historical fiction is to let us imagine what it was like to live in past times. And people of the past absolutely believed in magic in the same way we believe in germs and electricity and the laws of gravity. Magic was just a part of their worldview. So if you’re writing about that time–well, how much more vivid a picture of it are you getting if you imagine–as the people of the past absolutely *knew*–that magic was real?
http://www.cindyvallar.com Cindy Vallar

As an editor and reviewer for The Historical Novel Society, we consider all of these to be subgenres of historical fiction. Not all stories set in the past, though, would necessarily be considered historical fiction. Good historicals, regardless of of their subgenre, can only be set in that time and place. (If a story and its characters can be set anywhere in time and place without truly altering the events that transpire, it’s not real historical fiction. ) How the author recreates those elements to make the reader feel as if he/she has stepped back into that period to solve a mystery, fall in love, or venture into the realm of fantasy determines whether a historical mystery, historical romance, or historical fantasy achieve the goal of being historical fiction.
Laura S.

I can understand using sub-genres for Historical fiction but, as one poster wrote, I would hate to have to go browsing through the fantasy section of the bookstore to find particular books and even worse, I would hate to have to go browse the romance section looking for good historical fiction. It would be nice if the stores (brick and mortar) would still keep them all in one section.
On a sidenote, I can’t recall the book but several years ago I picked up a book that someone on a message board for historical fiction recommended. I was about 1/4th of the way through it when 2 of the characters high-fived one another with a resounding “yes!” and the book went in the trash. Sometimes great liberties (or just sloppiness) are taken.
Troy C.

Although I am in no position to judge a book on historical accuracy nor even weigh in on the value of having all of these sub-genre, as I am still an undergraduate without credentials. I can say that in my opinion, watering down genres seems very politically correct rather than giving more value to a particular sub-type. Historical fiction has always held a special fondness with me and I cannot imagine reading a book labeled Historical Fantasy and finding goblins in the story, as anything but fantasy. Historical accuracy must come as a pre-requisite for any historical fictional work, rather than trying to emphasize fiction over history.