When thinking about grabbing a historical fiction book, what pops into your head? Is it a historical event you learned about in school, or is it a specific time period? Would you think that a book about COVID counts as historical fiction?
There seems to be some gray area on what would actually be considered historical fiction in the world of literature. Is it history that only lives in recorded texts? History that lives within the memory of the living, or history where all those who lived through the events are no longer with us?
This genre leaves a bit of wiggle room and questions when trying to define it. I stayed close to foundations and societies that have strong roots in the literary world, and places that are still active today. There are many wonderful resources out there about historical fiction and many people who are keeping the genre and intrigue alive to this day. From awards to magazines, there are a range of answers to all the questions we have about what defines a historical fiction book.
Definition of Historical Fiction
The Historical Novel Society has a very clear definition of what makes a book historical fiction.
To be deemed historical (in our sense), a novel must have been written at least fifty years after the events described. Or written by someone who was not alive at the time of those events, and therefore approaches them only by research.
Historical Novel Society
However other sources have different definitions. The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction says it takes books written 60 years after the events described. Meanwhile, the Langum Foundation says the story must take place prior to 1950 – everything after is more modern and less historical.
The range that many sources give us, while varied in time and what events are in said timeline, all had one thing in common: no cell phones! Technology is very modern and has only exploded recently.
While we have phones and computers that seem ancient, those first iterations of phones are not yet old enough to be in historical fiction novels, which matches up to what I think of when thinking of historical fiction. There is never a cellphone, an Apple store, or an Android found in any of the pages.
So What Actually Qualifies A Book As Historical Fiction?
Historical fiction is a genre that combines fictional characters and plots with accurate depictions of real historical time periods, events, and settings. These books are set several decades or more in the past, effectively transporting readers to another era through well-researched details of the culture, social norms, language, and daily life of that time.
While the main story and characters are invented, the narrative incorporates and is shaped by significant historical occurrences, movements, or figures, blending imagined storytelling with factual historical backdrops to provide an immersive and educational reading experience that explores the human condition within a particular moment in history.
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The Timeline of Historical Fiction
As we discuss what qualifies a book as historical fiction, we should look at more than the timeline. What type of content will classify a book as historical fiction? Does time travel count? Will a steampunk novel set in the 1800’s but has animatronics and robots count?
The Society of American Historians has been quoted saying books that “make a significant contribution to historical understanding, portrays authentically the people and events of the historical past, and displays skills in narrative construction and prose style “are what they look for when awarding prizes for historical fiction novels.” And we have a literary critic, György Lukács, who has said:
that to qualify, such a book must deal with real historical events, and contain at least one real historical character.
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It seems that the general consensus is that for a book to be historical fiction, its content must portray the historical period accurately and center around events that people can research more information about, or it has to be centered around a known/ common knowledge historical event and period while portraying accurate behavior and events to the time it is written in.
So it looks like steampunk and time travel stay safely in the genre of fantasy and do not creep into the realm of historical fiction.
Final Thoughts on Historical Fiction
To me, a book that will be classified as historical fiction will be discussing events that happened around 50 years ago. The content should accurately portray what people living through that time would think, feel, and act. And if the reader gets curious about an event or topic brought up in the book they can do their own research to find out what information is true and what was added to the story.
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While that still seems like a vague definition, it narrows down what it could and could not be considerably while still leaving a lot of room for the imagination. Historical fiction books have a wide range – and I personally like having such a long and intriguing range of stories and events!
