Some of the most famous or well-known Historical
Fiction authors are Mark Twain, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charles Dickens, Jane
Austen, Alexandre Dumas, and many more.
There are mass amounts of remarkable, critically
acclaimed books that have come out of this genre including, The Great
Gatsby, This Side of Paradise, and Tender Is the Night by F.
Scott Fitzgerald. There is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Gone
With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, To Kill A Mockingbird by
Harper Lee, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, The Adventures of
Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles
Dickens, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, The Scarlet Letter by
Nathaniel Hawthorne, and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.
More recently, major titles include The Secret
Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, A
Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, Water for Elephants by
Sara Gruen, and The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan.
The characteristics of this genre include an
emphasis on human destruction and flaws in the world. A lot of the books take
place in the times of war, slavery, female oppression, and evil leaders, e.g.;
Adolf Hitler, King George, and King Louis. Authors of historical fiction take
important events in history and make the audience aware as well as able to
relate to the characters and events.
One award that has been devoted to historical
fiction is The Scott O’ Dell Award for
Historical Fiction that is given out
to top historical fiction novels and authors. Legendary author Mark Twain has
won numerous Newberry Honor Awards and
the American Humor Award. Harper
Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird received
the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Let me
just put that into perspective… SHE WON A PULITZER.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak was
awarded prizes including the ALA Best
Books for Young Adults and the Michael
L. Printz Honor Book awards among many others.
Historical fiction, according to Readwritethink.org, is mainly described
as “stories that are written to portray a time period or convey information
about a specific time period or an historical event. Usually the event or time
period is about 30 years in the past.” A historical fiction novel includes
fictional characters in a real-life setting. My favorite time period to read
about in historical fiction books is usually about the Roaring 20’s because of
the outfits, parties, and culture.
So far, my book, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, relates quite well to the
historical fiction genre. It is set in the 1960’s so the 30-year aspect of the
genre is correct. It is about a major time in American culture-the Civil Rights
Movement. It includes fictional characters in a real-life setting, South
Carolina. It also includes real-life events such as the jailing and release of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Although I’m not historical fiction’s biggest fan,
I have enjoyed being able to reach out of my comfort zone. I wanted to stop
reading this book, actually, about ¼ of the way through because it is
incredibly sad and slow (at the beginning) and kind of a downer. I am,
although, glad that I continued reading because the plot has definitely
developed, advanced, and strengthened (so have the characters).
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